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THE  EMPEROR 

A  ROMANCE 


BY 


GEORG    EBERS 

Author  of  "  Uarda,"  etc. 


From  the  German  by  CLARA  BELL 
Authorized  Edition 

IN   TWO   VOLUMES VOL.    I. 

REVISED  AND   CORRECTED   IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 


NEW   YORK 

WILLIAM  S.  GOTTSBERGER,  PUBLISHER 

11  MURRAY  STREET 

1883 


Copyright,  1881,  by  VVil^-iaM  S.  Gottsbergkr 


THIS  TRANSLATION  WAS  MADE  EXPRESSLY   FOR   THE  PUBLISHEK 


PRESS  OF 

WILLIAM  S.  GOTTSBERQER 

HEW  YORK 


ir^ 


/0C2^ 


TO    MY    DEAR   FRIEND    AND   COLLEAGUE 

OTTO   STOBBE 

FAITHFUL  ALIKE    IN   HAPPINESS   AND   IN  SADNESS, 

IN  HOURS   GRAVE   OR   GAY, 

I    DEDICATE    THIS    BOOK    IN    UNALTERABLE 

AFFECTION   AND    REGARD 

GEORG   EBERS 


PREFACE 


It  is  now  fourteen  years  since  I  planned  the  story 
related  in  these  volumes,  the  outcome  of  a  series  of  lec- 
tures which  I  had  occasion  to  deliver  on  the  period  of 
the  Roman  dominion  in  Egypt.  But  the  pleasures  of  in- 
ventive composition  were  forced  to  give  way  to  scien- 
tific labors,  and  when  I  was  once  more  at  leisure  to  try 
my  wings  with  increase  of  power  I  felt  more  strongly 
urged  to  other  flights.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  I  did 
not  take  the  time  of  Hadrian  for  the  background  of  a 
tale  till  after  I  had  dealt  with  the  still  later  period  of  the 
early  monastic  move  in  *'  Homo  Sum."  Since  finish- 
ing that  romance  my  old  wish  to  depict,  in  the  form  of 
a  story,  the  most  important  epoch  of  the  history  of  that 
venerable  nation  to  which  I  have  devoted  nearly  a 
quarter  century  of  my  life,  has  found  its  fulfilment.  I 
have  endeavored  to  give  a  picture  of  the  splendor  of  the 
Pharaonic  times  in  "  Uarda,"  of  the  subjection  of  Egypt 
to  the  new  Empire  of  the  Persians  in  "  An  Egyptian 
Princess,"  of  the  Hellenic  period  under  the  Lagides  in 
"  The  Sisters,"  of  the  Roman  dominion  and  the  early 
growth  of  Christianity  in  "  The  Emperor,"  and  of  the  an- 
chorite spirit — in  the  deserts  and  rocks  of  the  Sinaitic 
Peninsula — in  "  Homo  Sum."  Thus  the  present  work 
is  the  last  of  which  the  scene  will  be  laid  in  Egypt. . 

This  series  of  romances  will  not  only  have  intro- 
duced the  reader  to  a  knowledge  of  the  history  of  man- 


11  "  PREFACE. 

ners  and  culture  in  Egypt,  but  will  have  facilitated  his 
comprehension  of  certain  dominant  ideas  which  stirred 
the  mind  of  the  Ancients.  How  far  I  may  have  succeeded 
inrenderingthecolor  of  the  times  I  have  described  and  in 
producing  pictures  that  realize  the  truth,  I  myself  cannot 
venture  to  judge ;  for  since  even  present  facts  are  differ- 
ently reflected  in  different  minds,  this  must  be  still  more 
emphatically  the  case  with  things  long  since  past  and 
half-forgotten.  Again  and  again,  when  historical  in- 
vestigation has  refused  to  afford  me  the  means  of  resus- 
citating some  remotely  ancient  scene,  I  have  been 
obliged  to  take  counsel  of  imagination  and  remember 
the  saying  that  '  the  Poet  must  be  a  retrospective  Seer,' 
and  could  allow  my  fancy  to  spread  her  wings  while  I 
remained  her  lord  and  knew  the  limits  up  to  which  I 
might  permit  her  to  soar.  I  considered  it  my  lawful 
privilege  to  paint  much  that  was  pure  invention,  but 
nothing  that  was  not  possible  at  the  period  I  was  repre- 
senting. A  due  regard  for  such  possibility  has  always  set 
the  bounds  to  fancy's  flight ;  wherever  existing  authorities 
have  allowed  me  to  be  exact  and  faithful  I  have  always 
been  so,  and  the  most  distinguished  of  my  fellow-pro- 
fessors in  Germany,  England,  France  and  Holland,  have 
more  than  once  borne  witness  to  this.  But,  as  I  need 
hardly  point  out,  poetical  and  historical  truth  are  not 
the  same  thing ;  for  historical  truth  must  remain,  as  far 
as  possible,  unbiassed  by  the  subjective  feeling  of  the 
writer,  while  poetical  truth  can  only  find  expression 
through  the  medium  of  the  artist's  fancy. 

As  in  my  last  two  romances,  so  in  "  The  Emperor," 
I  have  added  no  notes :  I  do  this  in  the  pleasant  con- 
viction of  having  won  the  confidence  of  my  readers  by 
my  historical  and  other  labors.     Nothing  has  encour- 


PREFACE.  Ill 

aged  me  to  fresh  imaginative  works  so  much  as  the  fact 
that  through  these  romances  the  branch  of  learning 
that  I  profess  has  enhsted  many  disciples  whose  names 
are  now  mentioned  with  respect  among  Egyptologists. 
Every  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  history  of  Hadrian's 
time  will  easily  discern  by  trifling  traits  from  what 
author  or  from  which  inscription  or  monument  the  minor 
details  have  been  derived,  and  I  do  not  care  to  inter- 
rupt the  course  of  the  narrative  and  so  spoil  the  pleasure 
of  the  larger  class  of  readers.  It  would  be  a  happiness 
to  me  to  believe  that  this  tale  deserves  to  be  called  a 
real  work  of  art,  and,  as  such,  its  first  function  should 
be  to  charm  and  elevate  the  mind.  Those  who  at  the 
same  time  enrich  their  knowledge  by  its  study  ought 
not  to  detect  the  fact  that  they  are  learning. 

Those  who  are  learned  in  the  history  of  Alexandria 
under  the  Romans  may  wonder  that  I  should  have 
made  no  mention  of  the  Therapeutai  on  Lake  Mareotis. 
I  had  originally  meant  to  devote  a  chapter  to  them,  but 
Luca's  recent  investigations  led  me  to  decide  on  leav- 
ing it  unwritten.  I  have  given  years  of  study  to  the 
early  youth  of  Christianity,  particularly  in  Egypt,  and  it 
affords  me  particular  satisfaction  to  help  others  to  realize 
how,  in  Hadrian's  time,  the  pure  teaching  of  the  Saviour, 
as  yet  little  sullied  by  the  contributions  of  human  minds, 
conquered — and  could  not  fail  to  conquer — the  hearts  of 
men.  Side  by  side  with  the  triumphant  Faith  I  have  set 
that  noble  blossom  of  Greek  life  and  culture — Art— 
which  in  later  ages,  Christianity  absorbed  in  order  to 
dress  herself  in  her  beautiful  forms.  The  statues  and 
bust  of  Antinous  which  remain  to  us  of  that  epoch, 
show  that  the  drooping  tree  was  still  destined  to  put 
forth  new  leaves  under  Hadrian's  rule. 


IV  PREFACE. 

The  romantic  traits  which  I  have  attributed  to  the 
character  of  my  hero,  who  travelled  throughout  the 
world,  climbing  mountains  to  rejoice  in  the  splendor  of 
the  rising  sun,  are  authentic.  One  of  the  most  difficult 
tasks  I  have  ever  set  myself  was  to  construct  from  the 
abundant  but  essentially  contradictory  accounts  of  Had- 
rian a  human  figure  in  which  I  could  myself  at  all  be- 
lieve ;  still,  how  gladly  I  set  to  work  to  do  so !  There 
was  much  to  be  considered  in  working  out  this  narra- 
tive, but  the  story  itself  has  flowed  straight  from  the 
heart  of  the  writer;  I  can  only  hope  it  may  find  its 
way  to  that  of  the  reader. 

Leipzig,  November,  i88o. 

Georg  Ebers. 


THE    EMPEROR. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  morning  twilight  had  dawned  into  day,  and 
the  sun  had  risen  on  the  first  of  December  of  the  year 
of  our  Lord  129,  but  was  still  veiled  by  milk-white 
mists  which  rose  from  the  sea,  and  it  was  cold. 

Kasius,  a  mountain  of  moderate  elevation,  stands 
on  a  tongue  of  land  that  projects  from  the  coast  be- 
tween the  south  of  Palestine  and  Egypt.  It  is  washed 
on  the  north  by  the  sea  which,  on  this  day,  is  not 
gleaming,  as  is  its  wont,  in  translucent  ultramarine ;  its 
more  distant  depths  slowly  surge  in  blue-black  waves, 
while  those  nearer  to  shore  are  of  quite  a  different  hue, 
and  meet  their  sisters  that  lie  nearer  to  the  horizon  in  a 
dull  greenish-grey,  as  dusty  plains  join  darker  lava- 
beds.  The  northeasterly  wind,  which  had  risen  as  the 
sun  rose,  now  blew  more  keenly,  wreaths  of  white  foam 
rode  on  the  crests  of  the  waves,  though  these  did  not 
beat  wildly  and  storjnily  on  the  mountain-foot,  but 
rolled  heavily  to  the  shore  in  humped  ridges,  endlessly 
long,  as  if  they  were  of  molten  lead.  Still  the  clear 
bright  spray  splashed  up  when  the  gulls  dipped  their 
pinions  in  the  water  as  they  floated  above  it,  hither  and 
thither,  restless  and  uttering  shrill  little  cries,  as  though 
driven  by  terror. 

Three  men  were  walking  slowly  along  the  causeway 

The  Emperor.  T.  \ 


2  THE    EMPEROR. 

which  led  from  the  top  of  the  hill  down  into  the  valley, 
but  it  was  only  the  eldest,  who  walked  in  front  of  the 
other  two,  who  gave  any  heed  to  the  sky,  the  sea,  the 
gulls,  and  the  barren  plain  that  lay  silent  at  his  feet. 
He  stopped,  and  as  soon  as  he  did  so,  the  others  fol- 
lowed his  example.  The  landscape  below  him  seemed 
to  rivet  his  gaze,  and  it  justified  the  disapproval  with 
which  he  gently  shook  his  head,  which  was  somewhat 
sunk  into  his  beard.  A  narrow  strip  of  desert  stretched 
westward  before  him  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
dividing  two  levels  of  water.  Along  this  natural  dyke 
a  caravan  was  passing,  and  the  elastic  feet  of  the  camels 
fell  noiselessly  on  the  road  they  trod.  The  leader, 
wrapped  in  his  white  mande,  seemed  asleep,  and  the 
camel-drivers  to  be  dreaming;  the  dull-colored  eagles 
by  the  road-side  did  not  stir  at  their  approach.  To  the 
right  of  the  stretch  of  flat  coast  along  wjiich  the  road 
ran  from  Syria  to  Egypt,  lay  the  gloomy  sea,  overhung 
by  grey  clouds ;  to  the  left  lay  the  desert,  a  strange  and 
mysterious  feature  in  the  landscape,  of  which  the  eye 
could  not  see  the  end,  either  to  the  east  or  to  the  west, 
and  which  looked  here  hke  a  stretch  of  snow,  there  hke 
standing  water,  and  again  like  a  thicket  of  rushes. 

The  eldest  of  our  travellers  gazed  constantly  towards 
heaven  or  into  the  distance;  the  second,  a  slave  who 
carried  rugs  and  cloaks  on  his  broad  shoulders,  never 
took  his  eyes  off  his  master;  and  the  third,  a  young, 
free-man,  looked  wearily  and  dreamily  down  the  road. 

A  broad  path,  leading  to  a  stately  temple,  crossed 
that  which  led  from  the  summit  of  the  mountain  to  the 
coast,  and  the  bearded  pedestrian  turned  up  it ;  but  he 
followed  it  only  for  a  few  steps,  then  he  turned  his 
head  with  a  dissatisfied  air,  muttered  a  few  unintelligible 


THE    EMPEROR-  3 

words  into  his  beard,  turned  round  and  hastily  retraced 
his  steps  to  the  narrow  way,  down  which  he  went  to- 
wards the  valley.  His  young  companion  followed  him 
without  raising  his  head  or  interrupting  his  reverie,  as 
if  he  were  his  shadow,  but  the  slave  lifted  his  cropped 
fair  head  and  a  stolen  smile  crossed  his  lips  as  on  the 
left  hand  side  of  the  Kasius  road  he  caught  sight  of  a 
black  kid,  and  close  beside  it  an  old  woman  who,  at 
the  approach  of  the  three  men  covered  her  wrinkled 
face  in  alarm  with  her  dark  blue  veil. 

"  That  is  the  reason  then  !"  said  the  slave  to  himself 
with  a  nod,  and  blowing  a  kiss  into  the  air  to  a  black- 
haired  girl  who  crouched  at  the  old  woman's  feet.  But 
she,  for  whom  the  greeting  was  intended,  did  not  ob- 
serve this  mute  courtship,  for  her  eyes  followed  the 
travellers,  and  especially  the  young  man,  as  if  spell- 
bound. As  soon  as  the  three  were  far  enough  off  not 
to  hear  her,  the  girl  asked  with  a  shiver,  as  if  some 
desert-spectre  had  passed  by — and  in  a  low  voice : 
*'  Grandmother,  who  was  that  ?" 

The  old  woman  raised  her  veil,  laid  her  hand  on 
her  grandchild's  mouth,  and  whispered  : 

"  It  was  he." 

"  The  Emperor  ?" 

The  old  woman  answered  with  a  significant  nod, 
but  the  girl  squeezed  herself  up,  against  her  grand- 
mother, with  vehement  curiosity  stretching  out  her 
dusky  head  to  see  better,  and  asked  softly :  "  The 
young  one  ?" 

"  Silly  child !  the  one  in  front  with  a  grey  beard." 

"  He  ?  Oh,  I  wish  the  young  one  was  the  Em- 
peror !" 

It  was  in  fact  Hadrian,  the  Roman  Emperor,  w!io 


4  THE    EMPEROR. 

walked  on  in  silence  before  his  escort,  and  it  seemed 
as  though  his  advent  had  given  life  to  the  desert,  for  as 
he  approached  the  reed-swamp,  the  kites  flew  up  in 
the  air,  and  from  behind  a  sand-hill  on  the  edge  of  the 
broader  road  which  Hadrian  had  avoided,  came  two 
men  in  priestly  robes.  They  both  belonged  to  the 
temple  of  Baal  of  Kariotis,  a  small  structure  of  solid 
stone,  which  faced  the  sea,  and  which  the  Emperor  had 
yesterday  visited. 

"  Do  you  think  he  has  lost  his  way  ?"  said  one  to 
the  other,  in  the  Phoenician  tongue. 

"  Hardly,"  was  the  answer.  "  Mastor  said  that  he 
could  ahvays  find  a  road  again  by  which  he  had  once 
gone,  even  in  the  dark." 

"  And  yet  he  is  gazing  more  at  the  clouds  than  at 
the  road." 

"  Still,  he  promised  us  yesterday." 

"  He  promised  nothing  for  certain,"  interrupted  the 
other. 

"  Indeed  he  did ;  at  parting  he  called  out — and  I 
heard  him  distinctly :  '  Perhaps  I  shall  return  and  con- 
sult your  oracle.' " 

"  Perhaps." 

"  I  think  he  said  *  probably.'  " 

"  Who  knows  whether  some  sign  he  has  seen  up  in 
the  sky  may  not  have  turned  him  back ;  he  is  going  to 
the  camp  by  the  sea." 

"But  the  banquet  is  standing  ready  for  him  in  our 
great  hall." 

"  He  will  find  what  he  needs  down  there.  Come,  it 
is  a  wretched  morning,  and  I  am  being  frozen." 

"  Wait  a  little  longer — look  there." 

"  What  ?" 


THE    EMPEROR.  5 

"  He  does  not  even  wear  a  hat  to  cover  his  grey  hair." 

"  He  has  never  yet  been  seen  to  travel  with  anything 
on  his  head." 

"  And  his  grey  cloak  is  not  very  imperial  looking." 

"  He  always  wears  the  purple  at  a  banquet." 

"  Do  you  know  who  his  walk  and  ap[)earance  remind 
me  of?" 

"Who?" 

"  Of  our  late  high-priest,  Abibaal ;  he  used  to  walk  in 
that  ponderous,  meditative  way,  and  wear  a  beard  like 
the  Emperor's." 

"  Yes,  yes — and  had  the  same  piercing  grey  eye." 

"He  too  used  often  to  gaze  up  at  the  sky.  They 
have  both  the  same  broad  forehead,  too ;  but  Abibaal's 
nose  was  more  aquiline,  and  his  hair  curled  less  closely.". 

"  And  our  governor's  mouth  was  grave  and  dignified, 
while  Hadrian's  lips  twitch  and  curl. at  all  he  says  and 
hears,  as  if  he  were  laughing  at  it  all." 

"  Look,  he  is  speaking  now  to  his  favorite— Antonius 
I  think  they  call  the  pretty  boy." 

"Antinous,  not  Antonius.  He  picked  him  up  in 
Bithynia,  they  say." 

"  He  is  a  beautiful  youth." 

"  Incomparably  beautiful !  What  a  figure  and  what  a 
face !    Still,  I  cannot  wish  that  he  were  my  son." 

"  The  Emperor's  favorite !" 

"  For  that  very  reason.  Why,  he  looks  already  as  if 
he  had  tried  every  pleasure,  and  could  never  know  any 
farther  enjoyment." 


On  a  little  level  close  to  the  sea-shore,  and  sheltered 
by  crumbling  cliffs  from  the  east  wind,  stood  a  number 


6  THE    EMPEROR. 

of  tents.  Between  them  fires  were  burning,  round  which 
were  gathered  groups  of  Roman  soldiers  and  imperial 
servants.  Half-naked  boys,  the  children  of  the  fisher- 
men and  camel-drivers  who  dwelt  in  this  wilderness, 
were  running  busily  hither  and  thither,  feeding  the 
flames  with  dry  stems  of  sea-grass  and  dead  desert- 
shrubs;  but  though  the  blaze  flew  high,  the  smoke  did 
not  rise,  but  driven  here  and  there  by  the  squalls  of 
wind,  swirled  about  close  to  the  ground  in  little  clouds^ 
like  a  flock  of  scattered  sheep.  It  seemed  as  though  it 
feared  to  rise  in  the  grey,  damp,  uninviting  atmosphere. 

The  largest  of  the  tents,  in  front  of  which  Roman 
sentinels  paced  up  and  down,  two  and  two,  on  guard, 
was  wide  open  on  the  side  towards  the  sea.  The  slaves 
who  came  out  of  the  broad  door-way  with  trays  on  their 
cropped  heads — loaded  with  gold  and  silver  vessels, 
plates,  wine-jars,  goblets,  and  the  remains  of  a  meal — 
had  to  hold  them  tightly  with  both  hands  that  they 
might  not  be  blown  over. 

The  inside  of  the  tent  was  absolutely  unadorned. 
The  Emperor  lay  on  a  couch  near  the  right  wall,  which 
was  blown  in  and  bulged  by  the  wind ;  his  bloodless  lips 
were  tightly  set,  his  arms  crossed  over  his  breast,  and 
his  eyes  half  closed.  But  he  was  not  asleep,  for  he 
often  opened  his  mouth  and  smacked  his  lips,  as  if 
tasting  the  flavor  of  some  viand.  From  time  to  time 
he  raised  his  eyelids — long,  finely  wrinkled,  and  blue*^ 
veined — turning  his  eyes  up  to  heaven  or  rolling  them 
to  one  side  and  then  downwards  towards  the  middle  of 
the  tent.  There,  on  the  skin  of  a  huge  bear  trimmed 
with  blue  cloth,  lay  Hadrian's  favorite  Antinous.  His 
beautiful  head  rested  on  that  of  the  beast,  which  had 
been   slain   by  his  sovereign,  and    its  skull  and   skin 


THE     EMPEROR.  7 

skilfully  preserved,  his  right  leg,  supported  on  his  left 
knee,  he  flourished  freely  in  the  air,  and  his  hands  were 
caressing  the  Emperor's  bloodhound,  which  had  laid  its 
sage-looking  head  on  the  boy's  broad,  bare  breast,  and 
now  and  then  tried  to  lick  his  soft  lips  to  show  its  affec- 
tion. But  this  the  youth  would  not  allow;  he  playfully 
held  the  beast's  muzzle  close  with  his  hands  or  wrapped 
its  head  in  the  end  of  his  mantle,  which  had  slipped 
back  from  his  shoulders. 

The  dog  seemed  to  enjoy  the  game,  but  once  when 
Antinous  had  drawn  the  cloak  more  tightly  round  its 
head  and  it  strove  in  vain  to  be  free  from  the  cloth  that 
impeded  its  breathing,  it  set  up  a  loud  howl,  and  this 
doleful  cry  made  the  Emperor  change  his  attitude  and 
cast  a  glance  of  displeasure  at  the  boy  lying  on  the 
bear-skin;  but  only  a  glance,  not  a  word  of  blame.  And 
soon  the  expression,  even  of  his  eyes,  changed,  and  he 
fixed  them  on  the  lads's  figure  with  a  gaze  of  loving 
contemplation,  as  though  it  were  some  noble  work  of 
art  that  he  could  never  tire  of  admiring.  And  truly  the 
Immortals  had  moulded  this  child  of  man  to  such  a 
type;  every  muscle  of  that  throat,  that  chest,  those 
arms  and  legs  was  a  marvel  of  softness  and  of  power ; 
no  human  countenance  could  be  more  regularly 
chi.'  Jled.  Antinous  observing  that  his  master's  atten- 
tion had  been  attracted  to  his  play  with  the  dog,  let  the 
animal  go  and  turned  his  large,  but  not  very  brilliant, 
eyes  on  the  Emperor. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ? "  asked  Hadrian 
kindly. 

"  Nothing,"  said  the  boy. 

"  No  one  can  do  nothing.  Even  if  we  fancy  we 
have  succeeded  in  doins  nothing  we  still  continue  to 


b  THK    EMPEROR. 

think  that  we  are  unoccupied,  and  to  think  is  a  good 
deal." 

"  But  I  cannot  even  think," 

"  Every  one  can  think ;  besides  you  were  not  doing 
nothing,  for  you  were  playing." 

"  Yes,  with  the  dog."  With  these  words  Antinous 
stretched  out  his  legs  on  the  ground,  pushed  away  the 
dog,  and  raised  his  curly  head  on  both  hands. 

"  Are  you  tired  ?"  asked  the  Emperor. 

"  Yes." 

"  We  both  kept  watch  for  an  equal  portion  of  the 
night,  and  I,  Avho  am  so  much  older,  feel  quite  wide 
awake." 

"  It  was  only  yesterday  that  you  were  saying  that 
old  soldiers  were  the  best  for  night-watches." 

The  Emperor  nodded,  and  then  said  : 

"  At  your  age  while  we  are  awake  we  live  three 
times  as  fast  as  at  mine,  and  so  we  need  to  sleep  twice 
as  long.  You  have  every  right  to  be  tired.  Tfo  be  sure 
it  was  not  till  three  hours  after  midnight  that  we  climbed 
the  mountain,  and  how  often  a  supper  party  is  not  over 
before  that." 

"  It  was  very  cold  and  uncomfortable  up  there." 

"  Not  till  after  the  sun  had  risen." 

"  Ah  !  before  that  you  did  not  notice  it,  for  till  th'-^n. 
you  were  busy  thinking  of  the  stars/' 

"And  you  only  of  yourself — veiy  true." 

"  I  was  thinking  of  your  health  too  when  that  cold 
wind  rose  before  Helios  appeared." 

"  I  was  obliged  to  await  his  rising." 

"  And  can  you  discern  future  events  by  the  way  and 
manner  of  the  rising  of  the  sun  ?" 

Hadrian  looked  in  surprise  at  the  speaker,  shook  his 


THE     EMPEROR.  9 

head  in  negation,  looked  up  at  the  top  of  the  tent,  and 
after  a  long  i)ause  said,  in  abrupt  sentences,  with  fre- 
quent interruptions : 

"  Day  is  the  present  merely,  and  the  future  is  evolved 
out  of  darkness ;  the  corn  grows  from  the  clods  of  the 
field ;  the  rain  falls  from  the  darkest  clouds  ;  a  new  gen- 
eration is  born  of  the  mother's  womb ;  the  limbs  recover 
their  vigor  in  sleep.  And  what  is  begotten  of  the  dark- 
ness of  death — who  can  tell  ?" 

When,  after  saying  this,  the  Emperor  had  remained 
for  some  time  silent,  the  youth  asked  him  : 

"  But  if  the  sunrise  teaches  you  nothing  concerning 
the  future  why  should  you  so  often  break  your  night's 
rest  and  climb  the  mountain  to  see  it  ?" 

"  Why  ?  Why  ?"  repeated  Hadrian,  slowly  and  medi- 
tatively, stroking  his  grizzled  beard;  then  he  went  on 
as  if  speaking  to  himself: 

"  That  is  a  question  which  reason  fails  to  answer, 
before  which  my  lips  find  no  words ;  and,  if  I  had  them 
at  my  command,  who  among  the  rabble  would  under- 
stand me  ?  Such  questions  can  best  be  answered  by 
means  of  parables.  Those  who  take  part  in  life  are 
actors,  and  the  world  is  their  stage.  He  who  wants  to 
look  tall  on  it  wears  the  cothurnus,  and  is  not  a  moun- 
tain the  highest  vantage  ground  that  a  man  can  find  for 
the  sole  of  his  foot  ?  Kasius  there  is  but  a  hill,  but  1 
have  stood  on  greater  giants  than  hj,  and  seen  the 
clouds  rise  below  me,  like  Jupiter  on  Olympus." 

"  But  you  need  climb  no  mountains  to  feel  yourself 
a  god,"  cried  Antinous;  "the  godlike  is  your  title — 
you  command  and  the  world  must  obey.  With  a 
mountain  beneath  his  feet  a  man  is  nearer  to  heaven  no 
doubt  than  he  is  on  the  plain." 


lO  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  Well  ?" 

"  I  dare  not  say  what  came  into  my  mind." 

"  Speak  out." 

"  I  knew  a  little  girl  who  when  I  took  her  on  my 
shoulder  would  stretch  out  her  arms  and  exclaim, '  I  am 
so  tall !'  She  fancied  that  she  was  taller  than  I  then,  and 
yet  was  only  little  Panthea." 

"  But  in  her  own  conception  of  herself,  it  was  she 
who  was  tall,  and  that  decides  the  issue,  for  to  each  of 
us  a  thing  is  only  that  which  it  seems  to  us.  It  is  true 
they  call  me  godlike,  but  I  feel  every  day,  and  a  hun- 
dred times  a  day,  the  limitations  of  the  power  and 
nature  of  man,  and  I  cannot  get  beyond  them.  On 
the  top  of  a  mountain  I  cease  to  feel  them ;  there  I  feel 
as  if  I  were  great,  for  nothing  is  higher  than  my  head, 
far  or  near.  And  when,  as  I  stand  there,  the  night  van- 
ishes before  my  eyes,  when  the  splendor  of  the  young 
sun  brings  the  world  into  new  life  for  me,  by  restoring 
to  my  consciousness  all  that  just  before  had  been  en- 
gulfed in  gloom,  then  a  deeper  breath  swells  my  breast, 
and  my  lungs  fill  with  the  purer  and  lighter  air  of  the 
heights.  Up  there,  alone  and  in  silence,  no  hint  can  reach 
me  of  the  turmoil  below,  and  I  feel  myself  one  with  the 
great  aspect  of  nature  spread  before  me.  The  surges  of 
the  sea  come  and  go,  the  tree-tops  in  the  forest  bow 
and  rise,  fog  and  mist  roll  away  and  part  asunder  hither 
and  thither,  and  up  there  I  feel  myself  so  merged  with 
the  creation  that  surrounds  me  that  often  it  even  seems 
as  though  it  were  my  own  breath  that  gives  it  life. 
Like  the  storks  and  the  swallows,  I  yearn  for  the  dis- 
tant land,  and  where  should  the  human  eye  be  more 
likely  to  be  permitted,  at  least  in  fancy,  to  discern  the 
remote  goal  than  from  the  summit   of  a  mountain? 


THE    EMPEROR.  ir 

The  limitless  distance  which  the  spirit  craves  for  seems 
there  to  assume  a  form  tangible  to  the  senses,  and  the 
eye  detects  its  border  line.  My  whole  being  feels  not 
merely  elevated,  but  expanded,  and  that  vague  longing 
which  comes  over  me  as  soon  as  I  mix  once  more  in 
the  turmoil  of  life,  and  when  the  cares  of  state  demand 
my  strength,  vanishes.  But  you  cannot  understand  it, 
boy.  These  are  things  which  no  other  mortal  can  share 
with  me." 

"  And  it  is  only  to  me  that  you  do  not  scorn  to  re- 
veal them!"  cried  Antinous,  who  had  turned  round  to 
face  the  Emperor,  and  who  with  wide  eyes  had  not 
lost  one  word. 

"  You  ?"  said  Hadrian,  and  a  smile,  not  absolutely 
free  from  mockery,  parted  his  lips.  "  From  you  I 
should  no  more  have  a  secret  than  from  the  Cupid  by 
Praxiteles,  in  my  study  at  Rome." 

The  blood  mounted  to  the  lad's  cheeks  and  dyed 
them  flaming  crimson.  The  Emperor  observed  this 
and  said  kindly : 

"  You  are  more  to  me  than  the  statue,  for  the 
marble  cannot  blush.  In  the  time  of  the  Athenians 
Beauty  governed  life,  but  in  you  I  can  see  that  the 
gods  are  pleased  to  give  it  a  bodily  existence,  even  in 
our  own  days,  and  to  look  at  you  reconciles  me  to  the 
discords  of  existence.  It  does  me  good.  But  how 
should  I  expect  to  find  that  you  understand  me ;  your 
brow  was  never  made  to  be  furrowed  by  thought ;  or 
did  you  really  understand  one  word  of  all  I  said  ?" 

Antinous  propped  himself  on  his  left  arm,  and  lift- 
ing his  right  hand,  he  said  emphatically : 

"  Yes." 

"  And  which,"  asked  Hadrian. 


12  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  I  know  what  longing  is." 

'*  For  what  ?" 

"  For  many  things." 

"  Tell  me  one." 

"  Some  enjoyment  that  is  not  followed  by  depres- 
sion.    I  do  not  know  of  one." 

"  That  is  a  desire  you  share  Avith  all  the  youth  of 
Rome,  only  they  are  apt  to  postpone  the  reaction. 
Well,  and  what  next  ?" 

"  I  cannot  tell  you." 

"  What  prevents  your  speaking  openly  to  me  ?" 

"  You,  yourself  did."  • 

u  I  p.. 

"  Yes,  you;  for  you  forbid  me  to  speak  of  my  home, 
my  mother,  and  my  people." 

The  Emperor's  brow  darkened,  and  he  answered 
sternly : 

"  I  am  your  father  and  your  whole  soul  should  be 
given  to  me." 

"  It  is  all  yours,"  answered  the  youth,  falling  back 
on  to  the  bear-skin,  and  drawing  the  pallima  closely  over 
his  shoulders,  for"  a  gust  blew  coldly  in  at  the  side  of 
the  tent,  through  which  Phlegon,  the  Emperor's  private 
secretary,  now  entered  and  approached  his  master.  He 
was  followed  by  a  slave  with  several  sealed  rolls  under 
his  arms. 

"  Will  it  be  agreeable  to  you,  Caesar,  to  consider  the 
despatches  and  letters  that  have  just  arrived  ?"  asked 
the  official,  whose  carefully-arranged  hair  had  been 
tossed  by  the  sea-breeze. 

"  Yes,  and  then  we  can  make  a  note  of  what  I  was 
able  to  observe  in  the  heavens  last  night.  Have  you 
the  tablets  ready  ?" 


THE    EMPEROR.  13 

"  I  left  them  in  the  tent  set  up  especially  for  the 
work,  Caesar." 

"  The  storm  has  become  very  violent." 

"  It  seems  to  blow  from  the  north  and  east  both  at 
once,  and  the  sea  is  very  rough.  The  Empress  will  have 
a  bad  voyage." 

"  When  did  she  set  out  ?" 

"  The  anchor  was  weighed  towards  midnight.  The 
vessel  which  is  to  fetch  her  to  Alexandria  is  a  fine  ship, 
but  rolls  from  side  to  side  in  a  very  unpleasant  manner." 

Hadrian  laughed  loudly  and  sharply  at  this,  and 
said : 

"  That  will  turn  her  heart  and  her  stomach  upside 
down.  I  wish  I  were  there  to  see — but  no,  by  all  the 
gods,  no !  for  she  will  certainly  forget  to  paint  this 
morning ;  and  who  will  construct  that  edifice  of  hair  if 
all  her  ladies  share  her  fate.  We  will  stay  here  to-day, 
for  if  I  meet  her  soon  after  she  has  reached  Alexandria 
she  will  be  undiluted  gall  and  vinegar." 

With  these  words  Hadrian  rose  from  his  couch,  and 
waving  his  hand  to  Antinous,  went  out  of  the  tent  with 
his  secretary. 

A  third  person  standing  at  the  back  of  the  tent  had 
heard  the  Emperor's  conversation  with  his  favorite ; 
this  was  Mastor,  a  Sarmatian  of  the  race  of  the  Taryges. 
He  was  a  slave,  and  no  more  worthy  of  heed  than  the 
dog  which  had  followed  Hadrian,  or  than  the  pillows 
on  which  the  Emperor  had  been  reclining.  The  man, 
who  was  handsome  and  well  grown,  stood  for  some 
time  twisting  the  ends  of  his  long  red  moustache,  and 
stroking  his  round,  closely-cropped  head  with  his  hands; 
then  he  drew  the  open  chiton  together  over  his  broad 
breast,  which   seemed   to  gleam  from  the  remarkable 


14  THE    EMPEROR. 

whiteness  of  the  skin.  He  never  took  his  eyes  off 
Antinous,  who  had  turned  over,  and  covering  his  face 
with  his  hands  had  buried  them  in  the  bear's  hairy 
mane. 

Mastor  had  something  he  wanted  to  say  to  him, 
but  he  dared  not  address  him  for  the  young  favorite's 
demeanor  could  not  be  reckoned  on.  Often  he  was 
ready  to  hsten  to  him  and  talk  with  him  as  a  friend, 
but  often,  too,  he  repulsed  him  more  sharply  than  the 
haughtiest  upstart  would  repel  the  meanest  of  his 
servants.  At  last  the  slave  took  courage  and  called  the 
lad  by  his  name,  for  it  seemed  less  hard  to  submit  to  a 
scolding  than  to  smother  the  utterance  of  a  strong, 
warm  feeling,  unimportant  as  it  might  be,  which  was 
formed  in  words  in  his  mind.  Antinous  raised  his  head 
a  httle  on  his  hands  and  asked : 

"  What  is  it  ?" 

"  I  only  wanted  to  tell  you,"  replied  the  Sarmatian, 
"  that  I  know  who  the  litde  girl  was  that  you  so  often 
took  upon  your  shoulders.  It  was  your  little  sister, 
was  it  not,  of  whom  you  were  speaking  to  me  lately  ?" 

The  lad  nodded  assent,  and  then  once  more  buried 
his  head  in  his  hands,  and  his  shoulders  heaved  so  vio- 
lently that  it  would  seem  that  he  was  weeping.  Mastor 
remained  .silent  for  a  few  minutes,  then  he  went  up  to 
Antinous  and  said: 

'•'You  know  I  have  a  son  and  a  little  daughter  at 
home,  and  I  am  always  glad  to  hear  about  litde  girls. 
We  are  alone  and  if  it  will  relieve  your  heart ;" 

"Let  me  alone,  I '  have  told  you  a  dozen  times 
already  about  my  mother  and  little  Panthea,"  replied 
Antinous,  trying  to  look  composed. 

"Then  do  so  confidently  for  the  thirteenth,"  said  the 


THE    EMPEROR.  15 

slave.  "  In  tlie  camp  and  in  the  kitchen  I  can  talk 
about  my  people  as  much  as  I  like.  But  you — tell  me, 
what  do  you  call  the  little  dog  that  Panthea  made  a 
scarlet  cloak  for?" 

"  We  called  it  Kallista,"  cried  Antinous  wiping  his 
eyes  with  the  back  of  his  hand.  "  My  father  would  not 
allow  it  but  we  persuaded  my  mother.  I  was  her  fa- 
vorite, and  when  I  put  my  arms  round  her  and  looked  at 
her  imploringly  she  always  said  'yes'  to  anything  I 
asked  her." 

A  bright  light  shone  in  the  boy's  weary  eyes;  he  had 
remembered  a  whole  wealth  of  joys  which  left  no  de- 
pression behind  them. 


CHAPTER  II. 

One  of  the  palaces  built  in  Alexandria  by  the 
Ptolemaic  kings  stood  on  the  peninsula  called  Lochias 
which  stretclied  out  into  the  blue  sea  like  a  finger  point- 
ing northwards;  it  formed  the  eastern  boundary  of  the 
great  harbor.  Here  there  was  never  any  lack  of  vessels 
but  to-day  they  were  particularly  numerous,  and  the 
quay-road  paved  with  smooth  blocks  of  stone,  which 
led  from  the  palatial  quarter  of  the  town — the  Bruchiora 
as  it  was  called — which  was  bathed  by  the  sea,  to  the 
.spit  of  land  was  so  crowded  with  curious  citizens  on 
foot  and  in  vehicles,  that  all  conveyances  were  obliged 
to  stop  in  their  progress  before  they  had  reached  the 
private  harbor  reserved  for  the  Emperor's  vessels. 

But  there  was  something  out  of  the  common  to  be 
seen  at  the  landing-place,    for   there  lying   under,  the 


l6  THE    EMPEROR. 

shelter  of  the  high  mole  were  the  splendid  triremes,  gal- 
leys, long  boats  and  barges  which  had  brought  Hadrian's 
wife  and  the  suite  of  the  imperial  couple  to  Alexandria, 
A  very  large  vessel  with  a  particularly  high  cabin  on 
the  after  deck  and  having  the  head  of  a  she-wolf  on  the 
lofty  and  boldly-carved  prow  excited  the  utmost  atten- 
tion. It  was  carved  entirely  in  cedar  wood,  richly 
decorated  with  bronze  and  ivory,  and  named  the  Sabina. 
A  young  Alexandrian  pointed  to  the  name  written  in 
gold  letters  on  the  stern,  nudging  his  companion  and 
saying  with  a  laugh : 

"Sabina  has  a  wolf's  head  then!" 

"A  peacock's  would  suit  her  better.  Did  you  see 
her  on  her  Avay  to  the  Caesareum  ?"  replied  the  other. 

"Alas!  I  did,"  said  the  first  speaker,  but  he  said  no 
more  perceiving,  close  behind  him,  a  Roman  lictor  who 
bore  over  his  left  shoulder  his  fasces,  a  bundle  of  elm- 
rods  skilfully  tied  together,  and  who,  with  a  wand  in 
his  right-hand  and  the  assistance  of  his  comrades,  was 
endeavoring  to  part  the  crowd  and  make  room  for  the 
chariot  of  his  master,  Titianus,  the  imperial  prefect, 
which  came  slowly  in  the  rear.  This  high  official  had 
overheard  the  citizens'  heedless  words,  and  turning  to 
the  man  who  stood  beside  him,  while  with  a  light  fling 
he  threw  the  end  of  his  toga  into  fresh  folds,  he  said : 

"An  extraordinary  people !  I  cannot  feel  annoyed 
with  them,  and  yet  I  would  rather  walk  from  here  to 
Canopus  on  the  edge  of  a  knife  than  on  that  of  an 
Alexandrian's  tongue." 

"  Did  you  hear  what  the  stout  man  was  saying 
about  Verus?" 

"The  lictor  wanted  to  take  him  up,  but  nothing  is 
to  be  done  with  them  by  violence.     If  they  had  to  pay 


THE    EMPEROR.  1 7 

only  a  sesterce  for  every  venomous  word,  I  tell  you 
Pontius,  the  city  would  be  impoverished  and  our  treas- 
ury would  soon  be  fuller  than  that  of  Gyges  at  Sardis." 

"  Let  them  keep  their  money,"  cried  the  other,  the 
chief  architect  of  the  city,  a  man  of  about  thirty  years 
of  age  with  highly-arched  brows  and  eager  piercing 
eyes;  and  grasping  the  roll  he  held  in  his  hand  with  a 
strong  grip,  he  continued. 

"They  know  how  to  work,  and  sweat  is  bitter. 
While  they  are  busy  they  help  each  other,  in  idleness 
they  bite  each  other,  like  unbroken  horses  harnessed  to 
the  same  pole.  The  wolf  is  a  fine  brute,  but  if  you 
break  out  his  teeth  he  becomes  a  mangy  hound." 

"You  speak  after  my  own  heart,"  cried  the  prefect. 
"  But  here  we  are,  eternal  gods!  I  never  imagined  any- 
thing so  bad  as  this.  From  a  distance  it  always  looked 
handsome  enough !" 

Titian  us  and  the  architect  descended  from  the  char- 
iot, the  former  desired  a  lictor  to  call  the  steward  of 
the  palace,  and  then  he  and  his  companion  inspected 
first  the  door  which  led  into  it.  It  looked  fine 
enough  with  its  double  columns  which  supported  a  lofty 
pediment,  but,  all  the  same,  it  did  not  present  a  particu- 
larly pleasing  aspect,  for  the -stucco  had,  in  several 
places,  fallen  from  the  walls,  the  capitals  of  the  marble 
columns  were  lamentably  injured  and  the  tall  doors, 
overlaid  with  metal,  hung  askew  on  their  hinges.  Pon- 
tius inspected  every  portion  of  the  door-way  with  a  keen 
eye  and  then,  with  the  prefect,  went  into  the  first  court 
of  the  palace,  in  which,  in  the  time  of  the  Ptolemies,  the 
tents  had  stood  for  ambassadors,  secretaries,  and  the 
officers  in  waiting  on  the  king.  There  they  met  with 
an  unexpected  hindrance,  for  across  the  paved  court- 

The  Empercr.   I.  3 


1 8  THE    EMPEROR.. 

yard,  wliere  the  grass  grew  in  tufts,  and  tall  thistles  were 
in  bloom,  a  number  of  ropes  were  stretched  aslant  from 
the  little  house  in  which  dwelt  the  gate-keeper;  and  on 
these  ropes  were  hung  newly- washed  garments  of  every 
size  and  shape. 

*'  A  pretty  residence  for  an  Emperor,"  sighed  Titi- 
anus,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  but  stopping  the  lictor, 
who  had  raised  his  fasces  to  cut  the  ropes. 

"  It  is  not  so  bad  as  it  looks,"  said  the  architect 
positively.  "Gate-keeper!  hi,  gate-keeper!  Where  is 
the  lazy  fellow  hiding  himself?" 

While  he  called  out  and  the  lictor  hurried  forward 
into  the  interior  of  the  palace,  Pontius  went  towards  the 
gate-keeper's  lodge,  and  having  made  his  way  in  a 
stooping  attitude  through  the  damp  clothes,  there  he 
stood  still.  Ever  since  he  had  come  in  at  the  gate 
annoyance  and  vexation  had  been  stamped  on  his 
countenance,  but  now  his  large  mouth  spread  into  a 
smile,  and  he  called  to  the  prefect  in  an  undertone : 

*'  Titianus,  just  take  the  trouble  to  come  here." 

The  elderly  dignitary,  whose  tall  figure  exceeded 
that  of  the  architect  in  height  by  a  full  head,  did  not 
find  it  quite  so  easy  to  pass  under  the  ropes  with  his 
head  bent  down ;  but  he  did  it  with  good  humor,  and 
while  carefully  avoiding  pulling  down  the  wet  linen,  he 
called  out : 

"  I  am  beginning  to  feel  some  respect  for  children's 
shirts;  one  can  at  any  rate  get  through  them  without 
breaking  one's  spine.  Oh !  this  is  delicious — quite  de- 
licious!" 

This  exclamation  was  caused  by  the  sight  which  the 
architect  had  invited  the  prefect  to  come  and  enjoy,  and 
which  was  certainly  droll  enough.     The  front  of  the 


THE    EMPEROR.  I9 

gate-keeper's  house  was  quite  grown  over  with  ivy 
which  framed  the  door  and  window  in  its  long  runners. 
Amidst  the  greenery  hung  numbers  of  cages  with  star- 
lings, blackbirds,  and  smaller  singing-birds.  The  wide 
door  of  the  little  house  stood  open,  giving  a  view  into  a 
tolerably  spacious  and  gaily-painted  room.  In  the 
background  stood  a  clay  model  of  an  Apollo  of  ad- 
mirable workmanship ;  above,  and  near  this,  the  wall 
was  hung  with  lutes  and  lyres  of  various  size  and  form. 

In  the  middle  of  the  roorh,  and  near  the  open  door, 
was  a  table,  on  which  stood  a  large  wicker  cage  con- 
taining several  nests  of  young  goldfinches,  and  with 
green  food  twined  among  the  osiers.  There  were,  too, 
a  large  wine-jar  and  an  ivory  goblet  decorated  with  fine 
carving.  Close  to  the  drinking-vessels,  on  the  stone 
top  of  the  table,  rested  the 'arm  of  an  elderly  woman 
who  had  fallen  asleep  in  the  arm-chair  in  which  she  sat. 
Notwithstanding  the  faint  grey  moustache  that  marked 
her  upper-lip  and  the  pronounced  ruddiness  of  her  fore- 
head and  cheeks,  she  looked  pleasant  and  kind.  She 
must  have  been  dreaming  of  something  that  pleased 
her,  for  the  expression  of  her  lips  and  of  her  eyes — one 
being  half  open  and  the  other  closely  shut — gave  her  a 
look  of  contentment.  In  her  lap  slept  a  large  grey  cat, 
and  by  its  side — as  though  discord  never  could  enter 
this  bright  little  abode  which  exhaled  no  savor  of  pov- 
erty, but,  on  the  contrary,  a  peculiar  and  fragrant  scent — 
lay  a  small  sliaggy  dog,  whose  snowy  whiteness  of  coat 
could  only  be  due  to  the  most  constant  care.  Two 
other  dogs,  like  this  one,  lay  stretched  on  the  floor  at 
the  old  lady's  feet,  and  seemed  no  less  soundly  asleep. 

As  the  prefect  came  up,  the  architect  pointed  to  this 
study  of  still-life,  and  said  in  a  whisper : 


20  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  If  we  had  a  painter  here  it  would  make  a  lovely 
little  picture." 

'*  Incomparable,"  answered  Titianus,  "  only  the  vivid 
scarlet  on  the  dame's  cheeks  seems  to  me  suspicious, 
considering  the  ample  proportions  of  the  wine-jar  at 
her  elbow." 

"  But  did  you  ever  see  a  calmer,  kindlier,  or  more 
contented  countenance  ?" 

"  Baucis  must  have  slept  like  that  when  Philemon 
allowed  himself  leave  of  absence  for  once !  or  did  that 
devoted  spouse  always  remain  at  home  ?" 

"  Apparently  he  did.     Now,  peace  is  at  an  end." 

The  approach  of  the  two  friends  had  waked  one  of 
the  little  dogs.  He  gave  tongue,  and  his  companion 
immediately  jumped  up  and  barked  as  if  for  a  wager. 
The  old  woman's  pet  sprang  out  of  her  lap,  but  neither 
his  mistress  nor  the  cat  let  themselves  be  disturbed  by 
the  noise,  and  slept  on. 

"  A  watcher  among  a  thousand  !"  said  the  architect, 
laughing. 

"  And  this  phalanx  of  dogs  which  guard  the  palace 
of  a  Caesar,"  added  Titianus,  "  might  be  vanquished 
with  a  blow.  Take  heed,  the  worthy  matron  is  about 
to  wake." 

The  dame  had  in  fact  been  disturbed  by  the  bark- 
ing. She  sat  up  a  little,  lifted  her  hands,  and  then,  half 
singing,  half  muttering  a  few  words,  she  sank  back  again 
in  her  chair. 

"This  is  delicious!"  cried  the  prefect.  "'Begone 
dull  care '  she  sang  in  her  sleep.  How  may  this  rare 
specimen  of  humanity  look  when  she  is  awake  ?" 

"  I  should  be  soiTy  to  drive  the  old  lady  out  of  her 
nest !"  said  the  architect  miroUing  his  scroll. 


THE    EMPEROR.  2  1 

"  You  shall  touch  nothing  in  the  little  house,"  cried 
the  prefect  eagerly.  "I  know  Hadrian;  he  delights 
in  such  queer  things  and  queer  people,  and  I  will 
wager  he  will  make  friends  with  the  old  woman  in 
his  own  way.  Here  at  last  comes  the  steward  of  this 
palace." 

The  prefect  was  not  mistaken ;  the  hasty  step  he 
had  heard  was  that  of  the  official  they  awaited.  At 
some  litde  distance  they  could  already  hear  the  man, 
panting  as  he  hurried  up,  and  as  he  came,  before 
Titianus  could  prevent  him,  he  had  snatched  down  the 
cords  that  were  stretched  across  the  court  and  flung  all 
the  washing  on  the  ground.  As  soon  as  the  curtain  had 
thus  dropped  which  had  divided  him  from  the  Em- 
peror's representative  and  his  companion,  he  bowed  to 
the  former  as  low  as  the  rotund  dimensions  of  his  per- 
son would  allow ;  but  his  hasty  arrival,  the  efibrt  of 
strength  he  had  made,  and  his  astonishment  at  the 
appearance  of  the  most  powerful  personage  in  the  Nile 
Province  in  the  building  entrusted  to  his  care,  so  utterly 
took  away  his  breath — of  which  he  at  all  times  was  but 
"  scant " — that  he  was  unable  even  to  stammer  out  a 
suitable  greeting.  Titianus  gave  him  a  little  time,  and 
then,  after  expressing  his  regret  at  the  sad  plight  of  the 
washing,  now  strewn  upon  the  ground,  and  mentioning 
to  the  steward  the  name  and  position  of  his  friend  Pon- 
tius, he  briefly  explained  to  him  that  the  Emperor 
wished  to  take  up  his  abode  in  the  palace  now  in  his 
charge;  that  he — Titianus — was  cognizant  of  the  bad 
condition  in  which  it  then  was,  and  had  come  to  take 
council  with  him  and  the  architect  as  to  what  could  be 
done  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  to  make  the  dilapi- 
dated residence  habitable  for  Hadrian,  and  to  repair,  at 


22  THE    EMPEROR. 

any  rate,  the  more  conspicuous  damage.  He  then  de- 
sired the  steward  to  lead  him  through  the  rooms. 

"  Directly — at  once,"  answered  the  Greek,  who  had 
attained  his  present  ponderous  dimensions  through 
many  years  of  rest :  "  I  will  hasten  to  fetch  the  keys." 
And  as  he  went,  puffing  and  panting,  he  re-arranged 
with  his  sliort,  fat  fingers  the  still  abundant  hair  on  the 
right  side  of  his  head.     Pontius  looked  after  him. 

"  Call  him  back,  Titianus,"  said  he.  "  We  dis- 
turbed him  in  the  midst  of  curling  his  hair;  only  one 
side  was  done  when  the  lictor  called  him  away,  and  I 
will  wager  my  own  head  that  he  will  have  the  other 
side  frizzled  before  he  comes  back.  I  know  your  true 
Greek !" 

"  Well,  let  him,"  answered  Titianus.  "  If  you  have 
taken  his  measure  rightly  he  will  not  be  able  to  give  his 
attention  without  reserve  to  our  questions  till  the  other 
half  of  his  hair  is  curled.  I  know,  too,  how  to  deal 
with  a  Hellene."  ' 

"  Better  than  I,  I  perceive,"  said  the  architect  in  a 
tone  of  conviction.  "  A  statesman  is  used  to  deal  with 
men  as  we  do  with  lifeless  materials.  Did  you  see  the 
fat  fellow  turn  i)ale  when  you  said  that  it  would  be  but 
a  few  days  before  the  Emperor  would  make  his  entry 
here  ?  Things  must  look  well  in  the  old  house  there. 
Every  hour  is  precious,  and  we  have  lingered  here  too 
long." 

The  prefect  nodded  agreement  and  followed  the 
architect  into  the  inner  court  of  the  palace.  How 
grand  and  well-proportioned  was  the  plan  of  this  im- 
mense building  through  which  the  steward  Keraunus, 
who  returned  with  his  fine  curls  complete  all  round, 
now  led  the  Romans.     It  stood  on  an  artificial  hill  in 


THE     EMPEROR.  23 

the  midst  of  the  peninsula  of  Lochias,  and  from  many  a 
window  and  many  a  balcony  there  were  lovely  prospects 
of  the  streets  and  open  squares,  the  houses,  palaces  and 
public'  buildings  of  the  metropolis,  and  of  the  harbor, 
swarming  with  ships.  The  outlook  from  Lochias  was 
rich,  gay  and  varied  to  the  south  and  west,  but  east 
and  north  from  the  platform  of  the  palace  of  the 
Ptolemies,  the  gaze  fell  on  the  never-wearying  prospect 
of  the  eternal  sea,  limited  only  by  the  vault  of  heaven. 
When  Hadrian  had  sent  a  special  messenger  from 
Mount  Kasius  to  desire  his  prefect  Titianus  to  have  this 
particular  building  prepared  for  his  reception,  he  knew 
full  well  what  advantages  its  position  offered ;  it  was 
the  part  of  his  officials  to  restore  order  in  the  interior  of 
the  palace,  which  had  remained  uninhabited  from  the 
time  of  Cleopatra's  downfall.  He  gave  them  for  the 
purpose  eight,  or  perhaps  nine,  days — little  more  than 
a  week.  And  in  what  a  condition  did  Titianus  and 
Pontius  find  this  now  dilapidated  and  plundered  scene 
of  former  magnificence — the  sweat  pouring  from  their 
foreheads  with  their  exertions  as  they  inspected  and 
sketched,  questioned  and  made  notes  of  it  all. 

The  pillars  and  steps  in  the  interior  were  tolerably 
well  preserved,  but  the  rain  had  poured  in  through  the 
open  roofs  of  the  banqueting  and  reception-halls,  the 
fine  mosaic  pavements  had  started  here  and  there,  and 
in  other  places  a  perfect  little  meadow  had  grown  in  the 
midst  of  a  hall,  or  an  arcade ;  for  Octavianus  Augustus, 
Tiberius,  Vespasian,  Titus  and  a  whole  series  of  pre- 
fects, had  already  carefully  removed  the  finest  of  the 
mosaics  from  the  famous  palace  of  the  Ptolemies,  and 
carried  them  to  Rome  or  to  the  provinces,  to  decorate 
their  town  houses  or  country  villas.     In  the  same  way 


24  THE     EMPEROR. 

the  best  of  the  statues  were  gone,  with  which  a  few 
centuries  previously  the  art-loving  Lagides  had  deco- 
rated this  residence — besides  which  they  had  another, 
still  larger,  on  the  Bruchiom. 

In  the  midst  of  a  vast  marbled  hall  stood  an 
elegantly-wrought  fountain,  connected  with  the  fine 
aqueduct  of  the  city.  A  draught  of  air  rushed  through 
this  hall,  and  in  stormy  weather  switched  the  water 
all  over  the  floor,  now  robbed  of  its  mosaics,  and 
covered,  wherever  the  foot  could  tread,  with  a  thin, 
dark  green,  damp  and  slippery  coating  of  mossy  plants 
and  slime.  It  was  here  that  Keraunus  leaned  breath- 
less against  the  wall,  and,  wiping  his  brow,  panted 
rather  than  said :  "  At  last,  this  is  the  end !" 

The  words  sounded  as  if  he  meant  his  own  end  and 
not  that  of  their  excursion  through  the  palace,  and  it 
seemed  like  a  mockery  of  the  man  himself  when  Pontius 
unhesitatingly  replied  with  decision  : 

"  Good,  then  we  can  begin  our  re-examination  here, 
at  once." 

Keraunus  did  not  contradict  him,  but,  as  he  re- 
membered the  number  of  stairs  to  be  climbed  over 
again,  he  looked  as  if  sentence  of  death  had  been 
passed  upon  him. 

"  Is  it  necessary  that  I  should  remain  with  you  dur- 
ing the  rest  of  your  labors,  which  must  be  principally 
directed  to  details  ?"  asked  the  prefect  of  the  architect. 

"  No,"  answered  Pontius,  "  provided  you  will  take 
the  trouble  to  look  at  once  at  my  plan,  so  as  to  inform 
yourself  on  the  whole  of  what  I  propose,  and  to  give 
me  full  powers  to  dispose  of  men  and  means  in  each 
case  a^^jt  arises." 

"  That  is  granted,"  said  Titianus.     "  I  know  that 


THE    EMPEROR. 


25 


Pontius  will  not  demand  a  man  or  a  sesterce  more  or 
less  than  is  needed  for  the  purpose." 

The  architect  bowed  in  silence  and  Titianus  went 
on. 

"  But  above  all  things,  do  you  think  you  can  ac- 
complish your  task  in  eight  days  and  nine  nights  ?" 

"  Possibly,  at  a  pinch ;  and  if  I  could  only  have 
four  days  more  at  my  disposal,  most  probably." 

"  Then  all  that  is  needed  is  to  delay  Hadrian's 
arrival  by  four  days  and  nights." 

"  Send  some  interesting  people — say  the  astronomer 
Ptolemaeus,  and  Favorinus,  the  sophist,  who  await  him 
here — to  meet  him  at  Pelusium.  They  will  find  some 
way  of  detaining  him  there." 

"  Not  a  bad  idea !  We  will  see.  But  who  can 
reckon  on  the  Empress's  moods  ?  At  any  rate,  con- 
sider that  you  have  only  eight  days  to  dispose  of." 

"Good." 

"  Where  do  you  hope  to  be  able  to  lodge  Had- 
rian?" 

"  Well,  a  very  small  portion  of  the  old  building  is, 
strictly  speaking,  fit  to  use." 

"Of  that,  I  regret  to  say,  I  have  fully  convinced 
myself,"  said  the  prefect  emphatically,  and  turning  to 
the  steward,  he  went  on  in  a  tone  less  of  stern  reproof 
than  of  regret. 

"  It  seems  to  me,  Keraunus,  that  it  would  have  been 
your  duty  to  inform  me  earlier  of  the  ruinous  condition 
of  the  building." 

"  I  have  already  lodged  a  complaint,"  replied  the 
man,  "but  I  was  told  in  answer  to  my  report  that 
there  were  no  means  to  apply  to  the  purpose." 

"I  know  nothing  of  these  things,"  cried  Titianus. 


26  THE    EMPEROR. 

"When  did  you  forward  your  petition  to  the  prefect's 
office  ?" 

"Under  your  predecessor,  Haterius  Nepos." 

"  Indeed,"  said  the  prefect  with  a  drawl. 

"So  long  ago.  Then,  in  your  place,  I  should  have 
repeated  my  application  every  year,  without  any  refer- 
ence to  the  appointment  of  a  new  prefect.  However, 
we  have  now  no  time  for  talking.  During  the  Empe- 
ror's residence  here,  I  shall  very  likely  send  one  of  my 
subordinates  to  assist  you  !" 

Titianus  turned  his  back  on  the  steward,  and 
asked  the  architect : 

"Well,  my  good  Pontius,  what  part  of  the  palace 
have  you  your  eye  upon  ?" 

"The  inner  halls  and  rooms  are  in  the  best  repair." 

"But  they  are  the  last  that  can  be  thought  of," 
cried  Titianus.  "The  Emperor  is  satisfied  with  every- 
thing in  camp,  but  where  fresh  air  and  a  distant  pros- 
pect are  to  be  had,  he  must  have  them." 

"Then  let  us  choose  the  western  suite;  hold  the 
plan  my  worthy  friend." 

The  steward  did  as  he  was  desired,  the  architect 
took  his  pencil  and  made  a  vigorous  line  in  the  air 
above  the  left  side  of  tlie  sketch,  saying: 

"  This  is  the  west  front  of  the  palace  which  you  see 
from  the  harbor.  From  the  south  you  first  come  into 
the  lofty  peristyle,  which  may  be  used  as  an  ante-cham- 
ber; it  is  surrounded  with  rooms  for  the  slaves  and 
body-guard.  The  next  smaller  sitting-rooms  by  the 
side  of  the  main  corridor  we  may  assign  to  the  officers 
and  scribes,  in  this  spacious  hypgethral  hall — the  one 
with  the  Muses — Hadrian  may  give  audience  and  the 
guests  may  assemble  there  whom  he  may  admit  to  eat 


THE    EMPEROR.  2^ 

at  his  table  in  this  broad  peristyle.  The  smaller  and 
well-preserved  rooms,  along  this  long  passage  leading 
to  the  steward's  house,  will  do  for  the  pages,  secretaries 
and  other  attendants  on  Caesar's  person,  and  this  long 
saloon,  lined  with  fine  porphyry  and  green  marble, 
and  adorned  with  the  beautiful  frieze  in  bronze  will, 
1  fancy,  please  Hadrian  as  a  study  and  private  sitting- 
room." 

"  Admirable !"  cried  Titianus,  "I  should  like  to  show 
your  plan  to  the  Empress." 

"  In  that  case,  instead  of  eight  days  I  must  have  as 
many  weeks,  "  said  Pontius  coolly. 

"That  is  true,"  answered  the  prefect  laughing. 
"  But  tell  me,  Keraunus,  how  comes  it  that  the  doors 
are  wanting  to  all  the  best  rooms  ?" 

"  They  were  of  fine  thyra  wood,  and  they  were 
wanted  in  Rome." 

"  I  must  have  seen  one  or  another  of  them  there," 
muttered  the  prefect. 

"  Your  cabinet-workers  Avill  have  a  busy  time,  Pon- 
tius." 

"  Nay,  the  hanging-makers  may  be  glad;  wherever 
we  can  we  will  close  the  door-ways  with  heavy 
curtains." 

"  And  what  will  you  do  with  this  damp  abode  of 
fogs,  which,  if  I  mistake  not,  must  adjoin  the  dining- 
hall  ?" 

"  We  will  turn  it  into  a  garden  filled  with  orna- 
mental foliage." 

**  That  is  quite  admissable — and  the  broken  statues  ?" 

"We  will  get  rid  of  the  worst." 

"The  Apollo  and  the  nine  Muses  stand  in  the 
room  you  intend  for  an  audience-hall — do  they  not  ?" 


28  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  Yes." 

"  They  are  in  fairly  good  condition,  I  think." 

"  Urania  is  wanting  entirely,"  said  the  steward,  who 
was  still  holding  the  plan  out  in  front  of  him. 

"  And  what  became  of  her  ?"  asked  Titianus,  not 
without  excitement. 

*'  Your  predecessor,  the  prefect  Haterius  Nepos, 
took  a  particular  fancy  to  it  and  carried  it-  with  him  to 
Rome." 

*'  Why  Urania  of  all  others  ?"  cried  Titianus  angrily. 
^*  She,  above  all,  ought  not  to  be  missing  from  the  hall 
of  audience  of  Caesar  the  pontiff  of  heaven  !  What  is 
to  be  done?" 

"It  will  be  difficult  to  find  an  Urania  ready-made  as 
tall  as  her  sisters,  and  we  have  no  time  to  search  one 
out,  a  new  one  must  be  made." 

"  In  eight  days  ?" 

"  And  eight  nights." 

"  But  my  good  friend,  only  to  get  the  marble — " 

"  Who  thinks  of  marble  ?  Papias  will  make  us  one 
of  straw,  rags  and  gypsum — I  know  his  magic  hand — 
and  in  order  that  the  others  may  not  be  too  unlike  their 
new-born  sister  they  shall  be  whitewashed." 

"  Capital — but  why  choose  Papias  when  we  have 
Harmodius  ?" 

"  Harmodius  takes  art  in  earnest,  and  we  should 
have  the  Emperor  here  before  he  had  completed  his 
sketches.  Papias  works  with  thirty  assistants  at  any- 
thing that  is  ordered  of  him,  so  long  as  it  brings  him 
money.  His  last  things  certainly  amaze  me,  particularly 
the  Hygyeia  for  Dositheus  the  Jew,  and  the  bust  of 
Plutarch  put  up  in  the  Caesareum,  they  are  full  of  grace 
and  power.     But  who  can  distinguish  what  is  his  work 


THE    EMPEROR.  2g 

and  what  that  of  his  scholars?  Enough,  he  knows 
how  things  should  be  done ;  and  if  a  good  sum  is  to  be 
got  by  it  he  will  hew  you  out  a  whole  sea-fight  in  mar- 
ble in  five  days." 

"Then  give  Papias  the  commission  —  but  the 
hapless  mutilated  pavements — what  will  you  do  with 
them  ?" 

"  Gypsum  and  paint  must  mend  them,"  said  Pon- 
tius, "and  where  that  will  not  do,  we  must  lay  carpets 
on  the  floor  in  the  Eastern  fashion.  Merciful  night  { 
how  dark  it  is  growing;  give  me  the  plan  Keraunus 
and  provide  us  with  torches  and  lamps  for  to-day,  and 
the  next  following  ones  must  have  twenty-four  hours 
apiece,  full  measure.  I  must  ask  you  for  half  a  dozen 
trustworthy  slaves  Titianus;  I  shall  want  them  for 
messengers.  What  are  you  standing  there  for  man  ? 
Lights,  I  said.  You  have  had  half  a  lifetime  to  rest 
in,  and  when  Caesar  is  gone  you  will  have  as  many 
more  years  for  the  same  laudable  purpose — " 

As  he  spoke  the  steward  had  silently  gone  off,  but 
the  architect  did  not  spare  him  the  end  of  the  sentence; 
he  shouted  after  him  : 

"Unless  by  that  time  you  are  smothered  in  your 
own  fat.  Is  it  Nile-mud  or  blood  that  runs  in  that 
huge  mortal's  veins  ?" 

"I  am  sure  I  do  not  care,"  said  the  prefect,  "so 
long  as  the  glorious  fire  that  flows  in  yours  only  holds 
out  till  the  work  is  done.  Do  not  allow  yourself  to  be 
overworked  at  first,  nor  require  the  impossible  of  your 
strength,  for  Rome  and  the  world  still  expect  great 
things  of  you.  I  can  now  write  in  perfect  security  to 
the  Emperor  that  all  will  be  ready  for  him  in  Lochias, 
and  as  a  farewell  speech,  I  can  only  say,  it  is  folly  to  be 


30  THE    EMPEROR. 

discouraged  if  only  Pontius  is  at  hand  to  support  and 
assist  me." 


CHAPTER    III. 

The  prefect  ordered  the  lictors,  who  were  awaiting 
him  with  his  chariot,  to  hasten  to  his  house,  and  to 
conduct  to  Pontius  several  most  worthy  slaves,  familiar 
with  Alexandria — some  of  whom  he  named — and  at  the 
same  time  to  send  the  architect  a  good  couch  with  pil- 
lows and  coverlets,  and  to  despatch  a  good  meal  and 
fine  wine  to  the  old  palace  at  Lochias.  Then  he 
mounted  his  chariot  and  drove  through  the  Bruchiom 
along  the  shore  to  the  great  edifice  known  as  the  Caesa- 
reum.  He  got  on  but  slowly,  for  the  nearer  he  ap- 
proached his  destination  the  denser  was  the  crowd  of 
inquisitive  citizens,  who  stood  closely  packed  round  the 
vast  circumference  of  the  building.  Quite  from  a  dis- 
tance the  prefect  could  see  a  bright  light;  it  rose  to 
heaven  from  the  large  pans  of  pitch  which  were  placed 
on  the  towers  on  each  side  of  the  tall  gate  of  the 
Caesareum  which  faced  the  sea.  To  the  right  and  left 
of  this  gate  stood  a  tall  obelisk,  and  on  each  of  these, 
men  were  lighting  lamps  which  had  been  attached  to 
the  sides  and  placed  on  the  top,  on  the  previous  day. 

"In  honor  of  Sabina,"  said  the  prefect  to  himself. 
"All  that  this  Pontius  does  is  thoroughly  done,  and 
there  is  no  iS§|"e  complete  sinecure  than  the  supervision 
of  his  arrangenients." 

Fully  persuaded  of  this  he  did  not  think  it  neces- 
sary to  go  up  to  the  illuminated  door-way  which  led  into 


THE    EMPEROR.  31 

the  temple  erected  by  Octavian  in  honor  of  Julius 
Caesar;  on  the  contrary,  he  directed  the  charioteer  to 
stop  at  a  door  built  in  the  Egyptian  style,  which  faced 
the  garden  of  the  palace  of  the  Ptolemies,  and  which 
led  to  the  imperial  residence  that  had  been  built  by  the 
Alexandrians  for  Tiberius,  and  had  been  greatly  ex- 
tended and  beautified  under  the  later  Caesars.  A  sacred 
grove  divided  it  from  the  temple  of  Caesar,  with  which 
it  communicated  by  a  covered  colonnade.  Before  this 
door  there  were  several  chariots  and  horses,  and  a 
whole  host  of  slaves,  black  and  white,  were  in  atten- 
dance with  their  masters'  litters.  Here  lictors  kept  back 
the  sight-seeking  crowd,  officers  were  lounging  against 
the  pillars,  and  the  Roman  guard  were  just  assembling 
with  a  clatter  of  arms,  to  the  sound  of  a  trumpet  within 
the  door,  to  await  their  dismissal. 

Everything  gave  way  respectfully  before  the  chariot 
of  the  prefect,  and  as  Titianus  walked  through  the  illu- 
minated arcades  of  the  Caesareum,  passing  by  the  mas- 
terpieces of  statuary  placed  there,  and  the  rows  of 
pictures — and  reached  the  halls  in  which  the  library  of 
the  palace  was  kept,  he  could  not  help  thinking  of  all 
the  care  and  trouble  which  with  the  assistance  of  Pon- 
tius, he  had  for  months  devoted  to  rendering  this 
palace  which  had  not  been  used  since  Titus  had  set  out 
for  Judaea,  fit  quarters  for  Hadrian's  reception.  The 
Empress  now  lived  in  the  rooms  intended  for  her  hus- 
band, and  decorated  with  the  choicest  works  of  art; 
and  Titianus  reflected  with  regret  that,  after  Sabina  had 
once  become  aware  of  their  presence  there,  it  would  be 
quite  impossible  to  transfer  them  to  Lochias.  At  the 
door  of  the  splendid  room  which  he  had  intended  for 
Hadrian   he   was   met  by  Sabina's   chamberlain   who 


32  THE    EMPEROR. 

undertook  to  conduct  him  at  once  into  the  presence  of 
his  mistress. 

The  roof  of  the  hall  in  which  the  prefect  found  the 
Empress,  in  summer  was  open  to  the  sky;  but  at  this 
season  was  suitably  covered  in  by  a  movable  copper 
roof,  partly  to  keep  off  the  rain  of  the  Alexandrian 
winter,  and  partly  too  because,  even  in  the  warmer 
season  Sabina  was  wont  to  complain  of  cold;  but  be- 
neath it  a  wide  opening  allowed  the  air  free  entrance 
and  exit.  As  Titian  us  entered  the  room  a  comfortable 
warmth  and  subtle  perfume  met  his  senses;  the  warmth 
was  produced  by  stoves  of  a  peculiar  form  standing  in 
the  middle  of  the  room;  one  of  these  represented  Vul- 
can's forge.  Brightly  glowing  charcoal  lay  in  front  of 
the  bellows  which  were  worked  by  an  automaton,  at 
short  regular  intervals,  while  the  god  and  his  assistants 
modelled  in  brass,  stood  round  the  genial  fire  with 
tongs  and  hammers.  The  other  stove  was  a  large  silver 
bird's-nest,  in  which  likewise  charcoal  was  burning. 
Above  the  glowing  fuel  a  phoenix,  also  in  brass,  and  in 
the  likeness  of  an  eagle,  seemed  striving  to  soar 
heavenwards.  Besides  these  a  number  of  lamps  lighted 
the  saloon,  which  in  truth  looked  too  large  for  the 
number  of  people  assembled  in  it,  and  which  was 
lavishly  furnished  with  gracefully-formed  seats,  couches, 
and  tables,  vases  of  flowers  and  statues. 

The  prefect  and  Pontius  had  intended  a  quite  dif- 
ferent room  to  serve  for  smaller  assemblies,  and  had 
fitted  it  up  suitably  for  the  purpose,  but  the  Empress 
had  preferred  the  great  hall  to  the  smaller  room. 
The  venerable  and  nobly-born  statesman  was  filled 
with  vexation,  nay,  with  an  embarrassment  that  made 
him    feel    estranged,  when  he  had  to   glance  round 


THE     EMPEROR.  33 

the  room  to  find  the  persons  in  it,  collected,  as  they 
Avere,  into  small  knots.  He  could  hear  nothing  but 
hushed  voices;  here  an  unintelligible  murmur  and 
there  a  suppressed  laugh,  but  from  no  one  a  frank 
speech  or  full  utterance.  For  a  moment  he  felt  as 
if  he  had  found  admittance  to  the  abode  of  whisper- 
ing calumny,  and  yet  he  knew  why  here  no  one 
dared  to  speak  out  or  above  a  murmur.  Loud 
voices  hurt  the  Empress,  and  a  clear  voice  was  a 
misery  to  her,  and  yet  few  men  possessed  so  loud 
and  penetrating  a  chest  voice  as  her  husband,  who 
was  not  wont  to  lay  restraint  upon  himself  for  any 
human   being,   not  even   for   his   wife. 

Sabina  sat  on  a  large  divan,  more  like  a  couch  than 
a  chair;  her  feet  were  buried  in  the  shaggy  fell  of  a 
buffalo,  and  her  knees  and  ankles  wrapped  round  with 
down-cushions  covered  with  silk.  Her  head  she  held 
very  upright,  and  it  was  difficult  to  imagine  how  her 
slender  throat  could  support  it,  loaded  as  it  was  with 
strings  of  pearls  and  precious  stones  which  were  braided 
in  the  tall  structure  of  her  reddish-gold  hair,  that  was 
arranged  in  long  cylindrical  curls  pinned  closely  side  by 
side.  The  Empress's  thin  face  looked  particularly  small 
imder  the  mass  of  natural  and  artificial  adornment 
which  towered  above  her  brow.  Beautiful  she  could 
never  have  been,  even  in  her  youth,  but  her  features 
were  regular,  and  the  prefect  confessed  to  himself  as  he 
looked  at  Sabina's  face,  marked  as  it  was  with  minute 
wrinkles  and  touched  up  with  red  and  white,  that  the 
sculptor  who  a  few  years  previously  had  been  commis- 
sioned to  represent  her  as  Venus  Victrix  might  very  well 
have  given  the  goddess  a  certain  amount  of  resemblance 
to  the  imperial  model.     If  only  her  eyes,  which  were 

The  Emperor.  J.  3 


34  THE    EMPEROR. 

absolutely  bereft  of  lashes,  had  not  been  quite  so  small 
and  keen — in  spite  of  the  dark  lines  painted  round 
them — and  if  only  the  sinews  in  her  throat  had  not 
stood  out  quite  so  conspicuously  from  the  flesh  which 
formerly  had  covered  them ! 

With  a  deep  bow  Titianus  took  the  Empress's  right 
hand,  covered  with  rings;  but  she  withdrew  it  quickly 
from  that  of  her  husband's  friend  and  relative,  as  if  she 
feared  that  the  carefully-cherished  limb — useless  as  it  was 
for  any  practical  purpose,  a  mere  toy  among  hands — 
might  suffer  some  injury,  and  wrapped  it  and  her  arm 
in  her  upper-robe.  But  she  returned  the  prefect's 
friendly  greeting  with  all  the  warmth  at  her  command. 
Though  formerly  at  Rome  she  had  been  accustomed  to 
see  Titianus  every  day  at  her  house,  this  was  their  first 
meeting  in  Alexandria;  for  the  previous  day,  exhausted 
by  the  sufferings  of  her  sea-voyage,  she  had  been  car- 
ried in  a  closed  litter  to  the  Caesareum,  and  this  morning 
she  had  declined  to  receive  his  visit,  as  her  whole  time 
was  given  up  to  her  physicians,  bathing-women,  and 
coiffeurs. 

"  How  can  you  survive  in  this  country  ?"  she  said  in 
a  low  but  harsh  voice,  which  always  made  the  hearer 
feel  that  it  was  that  of  a  dull,  fractious,  childless 
woman.  "  At  noon  the  sun  burns  you  up,  and  in  the 
evening  it  is  so  cold — so  intolerably  cold  !'■  As  she 
spoke  she  drew  her  robe  closer  round  her,  but  Titianus, 
pointing  to  the  stoves  in  the  middle  of  the  hall,  said : 

"  I  hoped  we  had  succeeded  in  cutting  the  bow- 
strings of  the  Egyptian  winter,  and  it  is  but  a  feeble 
weapon." 

"  Still  young,  still  imaginative,  still  a  poet !"  said  the 
Empress  wearily.     "  I  saw  your  wife  a  couple  of  hours 


THE    EMPEROR.  35 

since.  Africa  seems  to  suit  her  less  well ;  I  was  shocked 
to  see  Julia,  the  handsome  matron,  so  altered.  She 
does  not  look  well." 

"  Years  are  the  foe  of  beauty." 

"  Frequently  they  are,  but  true  beauty  often  resists 
their  attacks." 

"  You  are  yourself  the  living  proof  of  your  asser- 
tion." 

"  That  is  as  much  as  to  say  that  I  am  growing  old." 

"  Nay — only  that  you  know  the  secret  of  remaining 
beautiful." 

"  You  are  a  poet !"  murmured  the  Empress  with  a 
twitch  of  her  thin  under-lip. 

"  Affairs  of  state  do  not  favor  the  Muses." 

"  But  I  call  any  man  a  poet  who  sees  things  more 
beautiful  than  they  are,  or  who  gives  them  finer  names 
than  they  deserve — a  poet,  a  dreamer,  a  flatterer — for  it 
comes  to  that." 

"  Ah !  modesty  can  always  find  words  to  repel  even 
well-merited  admiration." 

"  Why  this  foolish  bandying  of  words  ?"  sighed 
Sabina,  flinging  herself  back  in  her  chair.  "  You  have 
been  to  school  under  the  hair-splitting  logicians  in  the 
Museum  here,  and  I  have  not.  Over  there  sits  Favo- 
rinus,  the  sophist ;  I  dare  say  he  is  proving  to  Ptolema- 
eus  that  the  stars  are  mere  specks  of  blood  in  our  eyes, 
which  we  choose  to  believe  are  in  the  sky.  Florus,  the 
historian,  is  taking  note  of  this  weighty  discussion; 
Pancrates,  the  poet,  is  celebrating  the  great  thoughts  of 
the  philosopher.  As  to  what  part  the  philologist  there 
can  find  to  take  in  this  important  event  you  know  bet- 
ter than  I.     What  is  the  man's  name  ?" 

"  Apollonius." 

3* 


36  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  Hadrian  lias  nick-named  him  '  the  obscure.'  The 
more  difficult  it  is  to  understand  the  discourses  of  these 
gentlemen  the  more  highly  are  they  esteemed." 

"  One  must  dive  to  obtain  what  lies  at  the  bottom 
of  the  water — all  that  floats  on  the  surface  is  borne  by 
the  waves,  a  plaything  for  children.  Apollonius  is  a 
very  learned  man." 

"  Then  my  husband  ought  to  leave  him  among  his 
disciples  and  his  books.  It  was  his  wish  that  I  should 
invite  these  people  to  my  table.  Florus  and  Pancrates 
I  like — not  the  others." 

"  I  can  easily  reheve  you  of  the  company  of 
Favorinus  and  Ptolemaeus;  send  them  to  meet  the 
Emperor." 

"  To  what  end  ?" 

*'  To  entertain  him." 

"  He  has  his  plaything  with  him,"  said  Sabina,  and 
her  thin  lips  curled  with  an  expression  of  bitter  con- 
tempt. 

"  His  artistic  eye  delights  in  the  beauty  of  Antinous, 
which  is  celebrated,  but  which  it  has  not  yet  been  my 
privilege  to  see." 

"  And  you  are  very  anxious  to  see  this  marvel  ?" 

"  I  cannot  deny  it." 

"And  yet  you  want  to  postpone  your  meeting  with 
Caesar?"  said  Sabina,  and  a  keen  glance  of  inquiry  and 
distrust  twinkled  in  her  little  eyes. 

"  Why  do  you  want  to  delay  my  husband's  arrival  ?" 

"  Need  I  tell  you,"  said  Titianus  eagerly,  "how 
greatly  I  shall  rejoice  to  see  once  more  my  sovereign, 
the  companion  of  my  youth,  the  greatest  and  wisest  of 
men,  after  a  separation  of  four  years  ?  What  would  I 
not  give  if  he  were  here  already !     And  yet  I  would 


THE    EMPEROR.  37 

rather  that  he  should  arrive  in  fourteen  days  than  in 
eight." 

"  What  reason  can  you  have  ?" 

"  A  mounted  messenger  brought  me  a  letter  to-day 
in  which  the  Emperor  tells  me  that  he  proposes  to  in- 
habit the  old  palace  at  Lochias,  and  not  the 
Caesareum." 

At  these  words  Sabina's  forehead  clouded,  her  gaze, 
dark  and  blank,  was  fixed  on  her  lap,  and  biting  her 
under-lip,  she  muttered : 

"  Because  /am  here." 

Titianus  made  as  though  he  had  not  heard  these 
words,  and  continued  in  an  easy  tone : 

"  There  he  has  a  wide  outlook  into  the  distance, 
which  is  what  he  has  loved  from  his  youth  up.  But 
the  old  building  is  much  dilapidated,  and  though  I 
have  already  begun  to  exert  all  the  forces  at  my  com- 
mand, with  the  assistance  of  our  admirable  architect, 
Pontius,  to  restore  a  portion  of  it  at  any  rate,  and  make 
it  a  habitable  and  not  too  uncomfortable  residence,  the 
time  is  too  short  to  do  anything  thoroughly  worthy — " 

"  I  wish  to  see  my  husband  here,  and  the  sooner 
the  better,"  interrupted  the  Empress  with  decision. 
Then  she  turned  towards  the  row  of  pillars  which  stood 
by  the  right-hand  wall  of  the  hall,  and  which  were  at 
some  distance  from  her  couch,  calling  out  "  Verus." 
But  her  voice  was  so  weak  that  it  did  not  reach  the 
person  addressed,  so  turning  to  the  prefect,  she  said :  "  I 
beg  of  you  to  call  Verus  to  me,  the  praetor  Lucius 
Aurelius  Verus."     Titianus  immediately  obeyed. 

As  he  entered  the  hall  he  had  already  exchanged 
friendly  greetings  with  the  man  to  whom  the  Empress 
wished  to  speak.     He  now  did  not  succeed  in  attract- 


38  THE    EMPEROR. 

ing  his  attention  till  he  stood  close  at  his  elbow,  for  he 
formed  the  centre  of  a  small  group  of  men  and  women 
who  were  hanging  on  his  words.  What  he  was  saying 
in  a  subdued  voice  must  have  been  extraordinarily 
diverting,  for  it  could  be  seen  that  his  hearers  were 
making  the  greatest  eftbrts  to  keep  their  suppressed 
laughter  from  breaking  out  into  a  shout  that  would 
shake  the  very  hall,  a  noise  the  Empress  detested. 
When  the  prefect  came  up  to  Verus,  a  young  girl,, 
whose  pretty  head  was  crowned  by  a  perfect  thicket  of 
little  ringlets,  was  just  laying  her  hand  on  his  arm  and 
saying : 

"  Nay — that  is  too  much ;  if  you  go  on  like  this,  for 
the  future  whenever  you  speak  I  shall  stop  my  ears 
with  my  hands,  as  sure  as  my  name  is  Balbilla." 

*'  And  as  sure  as  you  are  descended  from  King 
Antiochus,"  added  Verus  bowing. 

"  Always  the  same,"  laughed  the  prefect,  nodding 
to  the  audacious  jester. 

"  Sabina  wants  to  speak  to  you." 

"  Directly,  directly,"  said  Verus,  "  My  story  is  a 
true  one,  and  you  all  ought  to  be  grateful  to  me  for 
having  released  you  from  that  tedious  philologer  who 
has  now  button-holed  my  witty  friend  Favorinus.  I 
hke  your  Alexandria,  Titianus;  still  it  is  not  a  great 
capital  like  Rome.  The  people  have  not  yet  learned 
not  to  be  astonished;  they  are  perpetually  in  amaze- 
ment.    When  I  go  out  driving — '^ 

"  Your  runners  ought  to  fly  before  you  with  roses 
in  their  hair  and  wings  on  their  shoulders  like  Cupids." 

"  In  honor  of  the  Alexandrian  ladies  ?" 

"  As  if  the  Roman  ladies  in  Rome,  and  the  fair 
Greeks  at  Athens,"  interrupted  Balbilla. 


THE     EMPEROR.  39 

"  The  praetor's  runners  go  faster  than  Parthian 
horses,"  cried  the  Empress's  chamberlain.  "  He  has 
named  them  after  the  winds." 

"  As  they  deserve,"  added  Verus  "  Come,  Titianus." 
He  laid  his  hand  in  a  confidential  manner  on  the  arm 
of  the  prefect,  to  whom  he  was  related;  and  as  they 
went  towards  Sabina  he  whispered  in  his  ear : 

"I  can  keep  her  waiting  as  if  I  were  the  Em- 
peror." 

Favorinus  who  had  been  engaged  in  talk  with 
Ptolemaeus,  the  astronomer,  Apollonius,  and  the  philos- 
opher and  poet  Pancrates  in  another  part  of  the  hall, 
looked  after  the  two  men  and  said: 

"A  handsome  couple.  One  the  personification  of 
imperial  and  dignified  Rome;  the  other  with  his  Hermes- 
like figure." 

"The  other" — interrupted  the  philologist  with  stem 
displeasure,  "  the  other  is  the  very  incarnation  of  the 
haughtiness,  the  luxury  pushed  to  insanity,  and  the 
infamous  depravity  of  the  metropolis.  That  dissipated 
ladies'-man." 

"  I  will  not  defend  his  character,"  said  Favorinus  in 
his  pleasant  voice,  and  with  an  elegance  in  his  pronun- 
ciation of  Greek  which  delighted  even  the  grammarian. 
"  His  ways  and  doings  are  disgraceful;  still  you  must 
allow  that  his  manners  are  tinged  with  the  charm  of 
Hellenic  beauty,  that  the  Charites  kissed  him  at  his 
birth,  and  though,  by  the  stern  laws  of  virtue  we  must 
condemn  him,  he  deserves  to  be  crowned  with  praise 
and  garlands  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  feeling  for 
beauty." 

"  Oh !  for  the  artist  who  wants  a  model  he  is  a 
choice  morsel." 


40  THE    EMPEROR. 

"The  Athenian  judges  acquitted  Phryne  because  she 
was  beautiful," 

"They  did  wrong." 

"Hardly  in  the  eyes  of  the  gods,  whose  fairest 
works  must  deserve  our  respect." 

"  Still  poison  may  be  kept  in  the  most  beautiful  ves- 
sels." 

"And  yet  body  and  soul  always  to  a  certain  extent 
correspond." 

"And  can  you  dare  to  call  the  handsome  Varus  the 
admirable  Verus  ?" 

"  No,  but  the  reckless  Lucius  Aurelius  Verus  is  at 
the  same  time  the  gayest  and  pleasantest  of  all  the  Ro- 
mans, free  alike  from  spite  or  carefulness,  he  troubles 
himself  with  no  doctrines  of  virtue,  and  as  when  a  thing 
joleases  him,  he  desires  to  possess  it,  he  endeavors  to 
give  pleasure  to  every  one  else." 

".He  has  wasted  his  pains  so  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned." 

"I  do  as  he  wishes." 

The  last  words  both  of  the  philologer  and  the 
sophist  were  spoken  somewhat  louder  than  was  usual  in 
the  presence  of  the  Empress.  Sabina,  who  had  just 
told  the  praetor  which  residence  her  husband  had  de- 
cided on  inhabiting,  drew  up  her  shoulders  and  pinched 
her  lips  as  if  in  pain,  while  Verus  turned  a  face  of  indig- 
nation— a  face  which  was  manly  in  spite  of  all  the 
delicacy  and  regularity  of  the  features — on  the  two 
speakers,  and  his  fine  bright  eyes  caught  the  hostile 
glance  of  Apollonius. 

An  intimation  of  aversion  to  his  person  was  one  of 
the  things  which  to  him  were  past  endurance;  he  has- 
tily passed  his  hand  through  his  blue-black  hair,  which 


THE    EMPEROR.  4 1 

was  only  slightly  grizzled  at  the  temples  and  flowed 
uncurled,  but  in  soft  waving  locks  round  his  head,  and 
said,  not  lieeding  Sabina's  question  as  to  his  opinion  of 
her  husband's  latest  instructions: 

"He  is  a  repulsive  fellow,  that  wrangling  logician; 
he  has  an  evil  eye  that  threatens  mischief  to  us  all,  and 
his  trumpet  voice  cannot  hurt  you  more  than  it  does 
me.     Must  we  endure  him  at  table  with  us  every  day  ?" 

"So  Hadrian  desires." 

"  Then  I  shall  start  for  Rome,"  said  Verus  decidedly. 
"My  wife  wants  to  be  back  with  her  children,  and  as 
praetor,  it  is  more  fitting  that  I  should  stay  by  the  Tiber 
than  by  the  Nile." 

The  words  were  spoken  as  lightly  as  though  they 
were  nothing  more  than  a  proposition  to  go  to  supper, 
but  they  seemed  to  agitate  the  Empress  deeply,  for  her 
head,  which  had  seemed  almost  a  fixture  during  her 
conversation  with  Titianus,  now  shook  so  violently 
that  the  pearls  and  jewels  rattled  in  the  erection  of 
curls.  There  she  sat  for  some  seconds  staring  into  her 
lap. 

Verus  stooped  to  pick  up  a  gem  that  had  fallen 
from  her  hair,  and  as  he  did  so  she  said  hastily : 

"You  are  right.  Apollonius  is  intolerable.  Let  us 
send  him  to  meet  my  husband." 

"Then  I  will  remain,"  answered  Verus,  as  pleased  as 
a  wilful  boy  who  has  got  his  own  way. 

"  Fickle  as  the  wind,"  murmured  Sabina,  threatening 
him  with  her  finger.  "Show  me  the  stone — it  is  one  of 
the  largest  and  finest;  you  may  keep  it." 

When  an  hour  later,  Verus  quitted  the  hall  with  the 
prefect,  Titianus  said: 

"You  have  done  me  a  service  cousin,  without  know- 


42  THE    EMPEROR. 

ing  it.  Now  can  you  contrive  that  Ptolemaeus  and 
Favorinus  shall  go  with  Apollonius  to  meet  the  Em- 
peror at  Pelusium  ?" 

"  Nothing  easier"  was  the  answer. 

And  the  same  evening  the  prefect's  steward  con- 
veyed to  Pontius  the  information  that  he  might  count 
on  having  probably  fourteen  days  for  his  Avork,  instead 
of  eight  or  nine  only. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

In  the  Caesareum,  where  the  Empress  dwelt,  the 
lights  were  extinguished  one  after  another;  but  in  the 
palace  of  Lochias  they  grew  more  numerous  and 
brighter.  In  festal  illuminations  of  the  harbor  pitch 
cressets  on  the  roof,  and  long  rows  of  lamps  that  accu- 
mulated architectonic  features  of  the  noble  structure, 
were  always  kindled;  but  inside  it,  no  blaze  so  brilliant 
had  ever  lighted  it  within  the  memory  of  man.  The 
harbor  watchmen  at  first  gazed  anxiously  up  at  Lochias, 
for  they  feared  that  a  fire  must  have  broken  out  in  the 
old  palace;  they  were  soon  reassured  however,  by  one 
of  the  prefect's  lictors,  who  brought  them  a  command 
to  keep  ojien  the  harbor  gates  that  night,  and  every 
night  till  the  Emperor  should  have  arrived,  to  all  who 
might  wish  to  proceed  from  Lochias  to  the  city,  or 
from  the  city  to  the  peninsula,  under  the  orders  of 
Pontius  the  architect.  And  till  long  past  midnight 
not  a  quarter  of  an  hour  passed  in  which  the  people 
whom  the  architect  had  summoned  to  his  aid  were 
not  knocking  at  the  harbor  gates,  which,  though  not 


THE    EMPEROR.  43 

locked  were  all  guarded.  The  little  house  belonging 
to  the  gate-keeper  was  also  brightly  lighted  up;  the 
birds  and  cats  belonging  to  the  old  woman  whom 
the  prefect  and  his  companions  had  found  slumber- 
ing by  her  wine-jar,  were  now  fast  asleep,  but  the  little 
dogs  still  flew  loudly  yelping  into  the  yard  each  time 
a  new-comer  entered  by  the  open  gate. 

"  Come,  Aglaia,  what  will  folks  think  of  you  ?  Tha- 
lia, my  beauty,  behave  like  a  good  dog;  come  here, 
Euphrosyne,  and  don't  be  so  silly !"  cried  the  old  lady 
in  a  voice  which  was  both  pleasant  and  peremptory,  as 
she  stood — wide  awake  now — behind  her  table,  folding 
together  the  dried  clothes.  The  little  barking  beasts 
who  were  thus  endowed  with  the  names  of  the  three 
Graces  did  not  trouble  themselves  much  about  her  affec- 
tionate admonitions ;  to  their  sorrow,  for  it  happened 
more  than  once  to  each  of  them,  when  they  had  got 
under  the  feet  of  some  new-comer,  to  creep,  whining 
and  howling,  into  the  house  again  to  seek  consolation 
from  their  mistress,  who  would  pick  up  the  sufferer  and 
soothe  it  with  kisses  and  coaxing. 

The  old  lady  was  no  longer  alone,  for  in  the  back- 
ground, on  a  long  and  narrow  couch  which  stood  in 
front  of  the  statue  of  Apollo,  lay  a  tall,  lean  man,  wear- 
ing a  red  chiton.  A  little  lamp  hanging  from  the  ceiling 
threw  a  dull  light  on  him  and  on  the  lute  he  was  play- 
ing. To  the  faint  sound  of  the  instrument,  which  was 
rather  a  large  one,  and  which  he  had  propped  on  the 
pillow  by  his  side,  he  was  singing,  or  rather  murmuring 
a  long  ditty.  Twice,  thrice,  four  times  he  repeated  it 
in  the  same  way. 

Now  and  again  he  suddenly  let  his  voice  sound  more 
loudly — and  though  his  hair  was  quite  grey  his  voice 


44  I'HE    EMPEROR. 

Avas  not  unpleasing — and  sang  a  few  phrases  full  of 
expression  and  with  artistic  delivery;  and  then,  when 
the  dogs  barked  too  vehemently,  he  would  spring  up, 
and  with  his  lute  in  his  left-hand  and  a  long  pliable  rat- 
tan in  his  right,  he  would  rush  into  the  court-yard,  shout 
the  names  of  the  dogs,  and  raise  his  cane  as  if  he  would 
kill  them;  but  he  always  took  care  not  to  hit  them, 
only  to  beat  on  the  pavement  near  them.  When,  re- 
turning from  such  an  excursion,  he  stretched  himself 
again  on  his  couch,  the  old  woman,  pointing  to  the 
hanging-lamp  which  the  impatient  creature  often 
knocked  with  his  head,  would  call  out,  "  Euphorion, 
mind  the  oil." 

And  he  each  time  answered  with  the  same  threaten- 
ing gesture  and  the  same  glare  in  his  black  eyes : 

"  The  litde  brutes !" 

The  singer  had  been  diligently  practising  his  musical 
exercises  for  about  an  hour,  when  the  dogs  rushed  into 
the  court-yard,  not  barking  this  time,  but  yelping  loudly 
with  joy.  The  old  woman  laid  aside  the  washing  and 
listened,  but  the  tall  man  said : 

"  As  many  birds  come  flying  before  the  Emperor  as 
gulls  before  a  storm.  If  only  they  would  leave  us  in 
peace — " 

"  Hark,  that  is  Pollux;  I  know  by  the  dogs,"  said 
the  woman,  hastening  as  fast  as  she  could  over  the 
threshold  and  out  to  meet  him.  But  the  expected  visi- 
tor was  already  at  the  door.  He  picked  up  the  three 
four-footed  Graces  who  leaped  round  him,  one  after  the 
other  by  the  skin  of  the  neck,  and  gave  each  a  tap  on 
its  nose.  Then,  seeing  the  old  woman,  he  took  her 
head  between  his  hands,  and  kissed  her  forehead,  say- 
ing, '*  Good-evening,  little  Mother,"  and  shook  hands 


THE     EMPEROR.  45, 

with  the  singer,  adding,  "  How  are  you,  great,  big 
Father  ?" 

"  You  are  as  big  as  I  am,"  replied  the  man  thus 
addressed,  and  he  drew  the  younger  man  towards  him, 
and  laid  one  of  his  broad  hands  on  his  own  grey  head 
and  the  other  on  that  of  his  first-born,  with  its  wealth  of 
brown  hair. 

"  As  if  we  were  cast  in  the  same  mould,"  cried  the 
youth ;  and  in  fact  he  was  very  like  his  father — like,  no 
doubt,  as  a  noble  hunter  is  like  a  worn-out  hack — as 
marble  is  like  limestone — as  a  cedar  is  like  a  fir-tree. 
Both  were  remarkably  tall,  had  thick  hair,  dark  eyes, 
and  strongly  aquiline  noses,  exactly  of  the  same  shape ; 
but  the  cheerful  brightness  which  irradiated  the  coun- 
tenance of  the  youth  had  certainly  not  been  inherited 
from  the  lute-player,  but  from  the  httle  woman  who 
looked  up  into  his  face  and  patted  his  arm. 

But  whence  did  he  derive  the  powerful,  but  inde- 
scribable something  which  gave  nobility  to  his  head, 
and  of  .which  it  was  impossible  to  say  whether  it  lay  in 
his  eye,  or  in  the  lofty  brow,  arched  so  differently  to 
that  of  either  parent  ? 

"  I  knew  you  would  come,"  cried  his  mother.  "  This 
afternoon  I  dreamed  it,  and  I  can  prove  that  I  expected 
you,  for  there,  on  the  brazier,  stands  the  stewed  cabbage 
and  sausage  waiting  for  you." 

"  I  cannot  stay  now,"  replied  Pollux,  "Really,  I 
cannot,  though  your  kind  looks  would  persuade  me, 
and  the  sausage  winks  at  me  out  of  the  cabbage-pan. 
My  master,  Papias,  is  gone  on  ahead,  and  in  the  palace 
there  we  are  to  work  wonders  in  less  time  than  it 
generally  takes  to  consider  which  end  the  work  should 
be  begun  at." 


46  THE    EMPEROR. 

**  Then  I  will  carry  the  cabbage  into  the  palace  for 
you,"  said  Doris,  standing  on  tip-toe  to  hold  a  sausage 
to  the  lips  of  her  tall  son.  Pollux  bit  ofif  a  large 
mouthful  and  said,  as  he  munched  it : 

"  Excellent !  I  only  wish  that  the  thing  I  am  to 
construct  up  there  may  turn  out  as  good  a  statue  as 
this  savory  cylinder — now  fast  disappearing — was  a 
superior  and  admirable  sausage." 

"  Have  another  ?"  said  Doris. 

"  No  mother ;  and  you  must  not  bring  the  cabbage 
either.  Up  to  midnight  not  a  minute  must  be  lost,  and 
if  I  then  leave  off  for  a  little  while  you  must  by  that 
time  be  dreaming  of  all  sorts  of  pleasant  things." 

"  I  will  carry  you  the  cabbage  then,"  said  his  father, 
"  for  I  shall  not  be  in  bed  so  early  at  any  rate.  The 
hymn  to  Sabina,  composed  by  Mesomedes,  is  to  be 
performed  with  the  chorus,  as  soon  as  the  Empress 
visits  the  theatre,  and  I  am  to  lead  the  upper  part  of 
the  old  men,  who  grow  young  again  at  the  sight  of  her. 
The  rehearsal  is  fixed  for  to-morrow,  and  I  know 
nothing  about  it  yet.  Old  music,  note  for  note,  is 
ready  and  safe  in  my  throat,  but  new  things — new 
things !" 

"  It  is  according  to  circumstances,"  said  Pollux, 
laughing. 

"  If  only  they  would  perform  your  father's  Satyr- 
play,  or  his  Theseus !"  cried  Doris. 

"Only  wait  a  little,  I  will  recommend  him  to  Caesar 
as  soon  as  he  is  proud  to  call  me  his  friend,  as  the 
Phidias  of  the  age.  Then,  when  he  asks  me  *  Who  is 
the  happy  man  who  begot  you  ?'  I  will  answer :  *  It  is 
Euphorion,  the  divine  poet  and  singer;  and  my  mother, 
too,  is  a  worthy  matron,  the  gate-keeper  of  your  palace. 


THE    EMPEROR.  47 

Doris,  the  enchantress,  who  turns  dingy  clothes  into 
snow-white  linen." 

These  last  words  the  young  artist  sang  in  a  fine  and 
])owerful  voice  to  a  mode  invented  by  his  father. 

"  If  only  you  had  been  a  singer !"  exclaimed  Eu- 
phorion, 

"  Then  I  should  have  enjoyed  the  prospect,"  re- 
torted Pollux,  "  of  spending  the  evening  of  my  life  as 
your  successor  in  this  little  abode." 

"  And  now  for  wretched  pay,  you  plant  the  laurels 
with  which  Papias  crowns  himself!"  answered  the  old 
man  shrugging  his  shoulders. 

"  His  hour  is  coming,  too,"  cried  Doris,  "  his  merit 
will  be  recognized;  I  saw  him  in  my  dreams,  with  a 
great  garland  on  his  curly  head  !" 

"  Patience,  father — patience,"  said  the  young  man, 
grasping  his  father's  hand.  "  I  am  young  and  strong, 
and  do  all  I  can.  Here,  behind  this  forehead,  good 
ideas  are  seething ;  what  I  have  succeeded  in  carrying 
out  by  myself,  has  at  any  rate  brought  credit  and  fame 
to  others,  although  it  is  all  far  from  resembling  the  ideal 
of  beauty  that  here — here — I  seem  to  see  far  away  and 
behind  a  cloud ;  still  I  feel  that  if,  in  a  moment  of  kind- 
ness. Fortune  will  but  shed  a  few  fresh  drops  of  dew 
on  it  all  I  shall,  at  any  rate,  turn  out  something  better 
than  the  mere  ill-paid  right-hand  of  Papias,  who,  with- 
out me  does  not  know  what  he  ought  to  do,  or  how 
to  do  it." 

"  Only  keep  your  eyes  open  and  work  hard,"  cried 
Doris. 

"  It  is  of  no  use  without  luck,"  muttered  the  singer, 
shrugging  his  shoulders. 

The  yoimg  artist  bid  his  parents  good-night,  and 


48  THE    EMPEROR. 

was  about  to  leave,  but  his  mother  detained  him  to 
show  him  the  young  goldfinches,  hatched  only  the  day 
before.  Pollux  obeyed  her  wish,  not  merely  to  please 
her,  but  because  he  liked  to  watch  the  gay  little  bird 
that  sat  warming  and  sheltering  her  nestlings.  Close 
to  the  cage  stood  the  huge  wine-jar  and  his  mother's 
cup,  decorated  by  his  own  hand.  His  eye  fell  on  these, 
and  he  pushed  them  aside  in  silence.  Then,  taking 
courage,  he  said,  laughing  :  "  The  Emperor  will  often 
pass  by  here,  mother;  give  up  celebrating  your  Dio- 
nysiac  festival.  How  would  it  do  if  you  filled  the  jar 
with  one-fourth  wine  and  three-fourths  water  ?  It  does 
not  taste  badly." 

"  Spoiling  good  gifts,"  replied  his  mother. 

"  One-fourth  wine — to  please  me,"  Pollux  entreated, 
taking  his  mother  by  the  shoulders  and  kissing  her  fore- 
head. 

"  To  please  you,  you  great  boy !"  said  Doris,  as  her 
eyes  filled  with  tears.  "  Why  for  you,  if  I  must,  I 
would  drink  nothing  but  wretched  water.  Euphorion 
you  may  finish  what  is  left  in  the  jar  presently." 


Pontius  had  already  begun  his  labors,  at  first  with 
aid  only  of  his  assistants  who  had  followed  him  on 
foot.  Measuring,  estimating,  sending  short  notes  and 
writing  figures,  names  and  suggestions  on  the  plan,  and 
on  his  folding  wax-tablets,  he  was  not  idle  for  an  instant, 
though  frequently  interrupted  by  the  appointed  super- 
intendents of  the  workshops  and  manufactures  in 
Lochias,  whose  co-operation  he  required.  They  only 
came  at  this  late  hour  because  they  were  called  upon 
by  the  prefect's  orders. 


THE    EMPEROR.  49 

Papias,  the  sculptor,  introduced  himself  among  the 
latest,  though  Pontius  had  written  to  him  with  his  own 
hand  that  he  had  to  communicate  to  him  a  very- 
remunerative  and  particularly  pressing  commission  for 
the  Emperor,  Avhich  might,  perhaps,  be  taken  in  hand 
that  very  night.  The  matter  in  question  was  a  statue 
of  Urania,  which  must  be  completed  in  eight  days  by 
the  same  method  which  Papias  had  introduced  at  the 
last  festival  of  Adonis,  and  to  the  scale  which  he,  Pon- 
tius, indicated,  in  the  palace  of  Lochias  itself.  With 
regard  to  several  works  of  restoration  which  had  to  be 
carried  out  with  equal  rapidity,  and  as  to  the  price  to 
be  paid,  they  could  agree  at  the  same  time  and  place. 

The  sculptor  was  a  man  of  foresight  and  did  not 
appear  on  the  scene  alone  but  Avith  his  best  assistant, 
Pollux,  the  son  of  the  worthy  couple  at  the  gate,  and 
several  slaves  who  dragged  after  him  sundry  trunks  and 
carts  loaded  with  tools,  boards,  clay,  gypsum  and  other 
raw  materials  of  his  art.  On  the  road  to  Lochias  he 
had  informed  the  young  sculptor  of  the  business  in 
hand,  and  had  told  him  in  a  condescending  tone  that . 
he  would  be  permitted  to  try  his  skill  in  reconstructing 
the  Urania.  At  the  gate  he  had  permitted  Pollux  to 
greet  his  parents,  and  had  gone  alone  into  the  palace  to 
open  his  bargain  with  the  architect  without  the  presence 
of  witnesses. 

The  young  artist  perfectly  understood  his  master. 
He  knew  that  he  would  be  expected  to  carry  out  the 
statue  of  Urania,  while  his  task-master,  after  making 
some  trifling  alterations  in  the  completed  work,  would 
declare  that  it  was  his  own.  Pollux  had  for  two  years 
been  obliged,  more  than  once,  to  put  up  with  similar 
treatment;  and  now,  as  usual,  he  submitted  to  this  dis- 

rhe  Emperor.  I.  4 


so  THE     EMPEROR. 

honest  manceuvre  because,  under  his  master  there  was 
plenty  to  do,  and  the  deUght  of  work  was  to  him  the 
greatest  he  could  have. 

Papias,  to  whom  he  had  gone  early  as  an  appren- 
tice and  to  whom  he  owed  the  knowledge  he  possessed, 
was  no  miser,  still  Pollux  needed  money,  not  for  himself 
alone  but  because  he  had  taken  on  himself  the  charge 
of  a  widowed  sister  and  her  children  as  if  they  were  his 
own  family.  He  was  always  glad  to  take  some  com- 
fort into  the  narrow  home  of  his  parents,  who  were  poor, 
and  to  maintain  his  younger  brother  Teuker — who  had 
devoted  himself  to  the  same  art — during  the  years  of  his 
apprenticeship.  Again  and  again  he  had  thought  of 
telling  his  master  that  he  should  start  on  his  own  foot- 
ing and  earn  laurels  for  himself,  but  what  then  would 
become  of  those  who  relied  on  his  help,  if  he  gave  up 
his  regular  earnings  and  if  he  got  no  commissions  when 
there  were  so  many  unknown  beginners  eager  for  them  ? 
Of  what  avail  were  all  his  ability  and  the  most  honest 
good-will  if  no  opportunity  offered  for  his  executing  his 
work  in  noble  materials  ?  With  his  own  means  he  cer- 
tainly was  in  no  position  to  do  so. 

While  he  was  talking  to  his  parents  Papias  had  opened 
his  transactions  with  the  architect.  Pontius  explained 
to  the  sculptor  what  was  required  and  Papias  listened 
attentively ;  he  never  interrupted  the  speaker,  but  only 
stroked  his  face  from  time  to  time,  as  if  to  make  it 
smoother  than  it  was  already,  though  it  was  shaved  with 
peculiar  care  and  formed  and  colored  like  a  warm  mask; 
meanwhile  draping  the  front  of  his  rich  blue  toga,  which 
he  wore  in  the  fashion  of  a  Roman  senator,  into  fresh 
folds. 

But  when   Pontius  showed  him,  at  the  end  of  the 


THE    EMPEROR.  5 1 

Tooms  destined  for  the  Emperor,  the  last  of  the  statues 
to  be  restored,  and  which  needed  a  new  amn,  Papias 
said  decisively : 

"  It  cannot  be  done." 

"  That  is  a  rash  verdict,"  repHed  the  architect.  "  Do 
you  not  know  the  proverb,  which,  being  such  a  good 
one,  is  said  to  have  been  first  uttered  by  more  than  one 
sage :  *  That  it  shows  more  ill-judgment  to  pronounce  a 
thing  impossible  than  to  boast  that  we  can  achieve  a 
task  however  much  it  may  seem  to  transcend  our 
powers,'" 

Papias  smiled  and  looked  down  at  his  gold-embroid- 
ered shoes  as  he  said  : 

"  It  is  more  difficult  to  us  sculptors  to  imagine  our- 
selves waging  Titanic  warfare  against  the  impossible, 
than  it  is  to  you  who  work  with  enormous  masses.  I 
do  not  yet  see  the  means  which  would  give  me  courage 
to  begin  the  attack." 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  replied  Pontius  quickly  and  deci- 
dedly. "  On  your  side  good-will,  plenty  of  assistants  and 
night-watchers ;  on  ours,  the  Caesar's  approval  and 
plenty  of  gold." 

After  this  the  transaction  came  to  a  prompt  and 
favorable  issue,  and  the  architect  could  but  express  his 
entire  approbation,  in  most  cases,  of  the  sculptor's  judi- 
cious and  well-considered  suggestions. 

"  Now  I  must  go  home,"  concluded  Papias.  "  My 
assistants  will  proceed  at  once  with  the  necessary  prepa- 
rations. The  work  must  be  carried  on  behind  screens, 
so  that  no  one  may  disturb  us  or  hinder  us  with 
remarks." 

Half  an  hour  later  a  scaffolding  was  already  erected 
in  the  middle  of  the  hall  where  the  Urania  was  to  stand. 

4* 


52  THE     EMPEROR. 

It  was  concealed  from  public  gaze  by  thick  linen 
stretched  on  tall  wooden  frames,  and  behind  these 
screens  Pollux  was  busied  in  framing  a  small  model  in 
Avax,  while  his  master  had  returned  home  to  make 
arrangements  for  the  labors  of  the  following  day. 

It  wanted  only  an  hour  of  midnight,  and  still  the 
supper  sent  to  the  palace  for  the  architect  by  the  pre- 
fect remained  untouched.  Pontius  was  hungry  enough, 
but  before  attacking  the  meal  that  a  slave  had  set  out 
on  a  marble  table — the  roast  meat  which  looked  so  in- 
viting, the  orange-red  crayfish,  the  golden-brown  pasty 
and  the  many-hued  fruits — he  conceived  it  his  duty  to 
inspect  the  rooms  to  be  restored.  It  was  needful  to  see 
whether  the  slaves  who  had  been  set,  in  the  first  place 
to  clean  out  all  the  rooms,  were  being  intelligently 
directed  by  the  men  set  over  them,  whether  they  were 
doing  their  duty  and  had  all  that  they  required ;  they 
had  got  some  hours  to  work,  then  they  were  to  rest  and 
to  begin  again  at  sunrise,  reinforced  by  other  laborers 
both  slave  and  free. 

More  and  better  lighting  was  universally  demanded, 
and  when,  in  the  hall  of  the  Muses,  the  men  who 
were  cleaning  the  pavement  and  scraping  the  columns 
loudly  clamored  for  torches  and  lamps,  a  young  man's 
head  peered  over  the  screen  which  shut  in  the  place 
reserved  for  the  restoration  ot  the  Urania,  and  a 
lamentable  voice  cried  out : 

"  My  Muse,  with  her  celestial  sphere,  is  the  guardian 
of  star-gazers  and  is  happiest  in  the  dark — but  not  till 
she  is  finished.  To  form  her  we  must  have  light  ana 
more  light — and  when  it  is  lighter  here  the  voice  of  the 
people  down  there,  which  does  not  sound  very  delight- 
ful up  in  this  hollow  space,  will  diminish   somewhat 


THE    EMPEROR.  \,08  K'^S®'*^         53 

also.  Give  light,  then,  O,  men !  Light  for  my  god- 
dess, and  for  your  scrubbers  and  scourers." 

Pontius  looked  up  smiling  at  Pollux,  who  had 
uttered  this  appeal,  and  answered  : 

"  Your  cry  of  distress  is  fully  justified,  my  friend. 
But  do  you  really  believe  in  the  power  of  Hght  to  dimin- 
ish noise  ?" 

"  At  any  rate,"  replied  Pollux,  "  where  it  is  ab- 
sent, that  is  to  say  in  the  dark,  every  noise  seems 
redoubled." 

"  That  is  true,  but  there  are  other  reasons  for  that," 
answered  the  architect.  "  To-morrow  in  an  interval  of 
work  we  will  discuss  these  matters.  Now  I  will  go  to 
provide  you  with  lamps  and  lights." 

"  Urania,  the  protectress  of  the  fine  arts,  will  be  be- 
holden to  you,"  cried  Pollux  as  the  architect  went 
away. 

Pontius  meanwhile  sought  his  chief  foreman  to  ask 
him  whether  he  had  delivered  his  orders  to  Keraunus, 
the  palace-steward,  to  come  to  him,  and  to  put  the 
cressets  and  lamps  commonly  used  for  the  external 
illuminations,  at  the  service  of  his  workmen. 

"  Three  times,"  was  the  answer  "  have  I  been  my- 
self to  the  man,  but  each  time  he  puffed  himself  out  like 
a  frog  and  answered  me  not  a  word,  but  only  sent  me 
into  a  little  room  with  his  daughter — whom  you  must 
see,  for  she  is  charming — and  a  miserable  black  slave, 
and  there  I  found  these  few  wretched  lamps  that  are 
now  burning." 

"  Did  you  order  him  to  come  to  me  ?" 

"  Three  hours  ago,  and  again  a  second  time,  when 
you  were  talking  with  Papias." 

The  architect  turned  his  back  upon  the  foreman  in 


54  THE    EMPEROR. 

angry  haste,  unrolled  the  plan  of  the  palace,  quickly 
found  upon  it  the  abode  of  the  recalcitrant  steward, 
seized  a  small  red-clay  lamp  that  was  standing  near 
him,  and  being  quite  accustomed  to  guide  himself  by  a 
plan,  went  straight  through  the  rooms,  which  were  not 
a  few,  and  by  a  long  corridor  from  the  hall  of  the 
Muses,  to  the  lodging  of  the  negligent  official.  An  un- 
closed door  led  him  into  a  dark  ante-chamber  followed 
by  another  room,  and  finally  into  a  large,  well- furnished 
apartment.  All  these  door-ways,  into  what  seemed  to 
be  at  once  the  dining  and  sitting-room  of  the  steward, 
were  bereft  of  doors,  and  could  only  be  closed  by  stuff 
curtains,  just  now  drawn  wide  open.  Pontius  could 
therefore  look  in,  unhindered  and  unperceived,  at  the 
table  on  which  a  three-branched  bronze  lamp  was 
standing  between  a  dish  and  some  plates.  The  stout 
man  was  sitting  with  his  rubicund  moon-face  towards 
the  architect,  who,  indignant  as  he  was,  would  have 
gone  straight  up  to  him  with  swift  decision,  if,  before 
entering  the  second  room,  a  low  but  pitiful  sob  had  not 
fallen  on  his  ear. 

The  sob  proceeded  from  a  slight  young  girl  who 
came  forward  from  a  door  beyond  the  sitting-room,  and 
who  now  placed  a  platter  with  a  loaf  on  the  table  by 
the  steward. 

"  Come,  do  not  cry,  Selene,"  said  the  steward, 
breaking  the  bread  slowly  and  with  an  evident  desire  to 
soothe  his  child. 

"  How  can  I  help  crying,"  said  the  girl.  "  But  to- 
morrow morning  let  me  buy  a  piece  of  meat  for  you ; 
the  physician  forbade  you  to  eat  bread." 

*'  Man  must  be  filled,"  replied  the  fat  man,  "  and 
meat  is  dear.     I  have  nine  mouths  to  fill,  not  counting 


THE    EMPEROR.  55 

the  slaves.  And  where  am  I  to  get  the  money  to  fill  us 
all  with  meat  ?" 

"  We  need  none,  but  for  you  it  is  necessary." 

"  It  is  of  no  use,  child.  The  butcher  will  not  trust 
us  any  more,  the  other  creditors  press  us,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  month  we  shall  have  just  ten  drachmae  left 
us." 

The  girl  turned  pale,  and  asked  in  anxiety : 

"  But,  father,  it  was  only  to-day  that  you  showed 
me  the  three  gold  pieces  which  you  said  had  been  given 
you  as  a  present  out  of  the  money  distributed  on  the 
arrival  of  the  Empress." 

The  steward  absently  rolled  a  piece  of  bread-crumb 
between  his  fingers  and  said : 

"  I  spent  that  on  this  fibula  with  an  incised  onyx — 
and  as  cheap  as  dirt,  I  can  tell  you.  If  Caesar  comes 
he  must  see  who  and  what  I  am;  and  if  I  die  any  one 
will  give  you  twice  as  much  for  it  as  I  paid.  I  tell  you 
the  Empress's  money  was  well  laid  out  on  the  thing." 

Selene  made  no  answer,  but  she  sighed  deeply,  and 
her  eye  glanced  at  a  quantity  of  useless  things  which 
her  father  had  acquired  and  brought  home  because  they 
were  cheap,  while  she  and  her  seven  sisters  wanted  the 
most  necessary  things. 

"  Father,"  the  girl  began  again  after  a  short  silence, 
"  I  ought  not  to  go  on  about  it,  but  even  if  it  vexes 
you,  I  must — the  architect,  who  is  settling  all  the  work 
out  there,  has  sent  for  you  twice  already." 

"Be  silent!"  shouted  the  fat  man,  striking  his  hand 
on  the  table.    "Who  is  this  Pontius,  and  who  am  I!" 

"You  are  of  a  noble  Macedonian  family,  related 
perhaps  even  to  the  Ptolemies;  you  have  your  seat  in 
the  Coimcil  of  the  Citizens — but  do,  this  time,  be  conde- 


56  THE    F,>fPKROR. 

scending  and  kind.  The  man  has  his  hands  full,  he  is 
tired  out." 

"  Nor  have  I  been  able  to  sit  still  the  whole  day, 
and  what  is  fitting,  is  fitting.  I  am  Keraunus  the  son 
of  Ptolemy,  whose  father  came  into  Egypt  with  Alex- 
ander the  Great,  and  helped  to  found  this  city,  and 
every  one  knows  it.  Our  possessions  were  diminished; 
but  it  is  for  that  very  reason  that  I  insist  on  our  illus- 
trious blood  being  recognized.  Pontius  sends  to  com- 
mand the  presence  of  Keraunus !  If  it  were  not 
infuriating  it  would  be  laughable — for  who  is  this  man, 
who?  I  have  told  you  his  father  was  a  freedman  of 
the  former  prefect  Claudius  Balbillus,  and  by  the  favor 
of  the  Roman  his  father  rose  and  grew  rich.  He  is  the 
descendant  of  slaves,  and  you  expect  that  I  shall  be  his 
obedient  humble  servant,  whenever  he  chooses  to  call 
me  ?" 

"But  father,  my  dear  father,  it  is  not  the  son  of 
Ptolemy,  but  the  palace-steward  that  he  desires  shall 
go  to  him." 

"Mere  chop-logic! — you  have  nothing  to  say,  not  a 
step  do  I  take  to  go  to  him." 

The  girl  clasped  her  hands  over  her  face,  and 
sobbed  loudly  and  pitifully.  Keraunus  started  up  and 
cried  out,  beside  himself 

"By  great  Serapis.  I  can  bear  this  no  longer.  What 
are  you  whimpering  about?" 

The  girl  plucked  up  courage  and  going  up  to  the 
indignant  man  she  said,  though  more  than  once  inter- 
rupted by  tears. 

"You  must  go  father — indeed  you  must.  I  spoke 
to  the  foreman,  and  he  told  me  coolly  and  decidedly 
that  the  architect  was  placed  here  in  Caesar's  name, 


THE    EMPEROR.  57 

and  that  if  you  do  not  obey  him  you  will  at  once  be 
superseded  in  your  office.  And  if  that  were  to  happen, 
if  that — O  father,  father,  only  think  of  blind  Helios  and 
poor  Berenice!  Arsinoe  and  I  could  earn  our  bread, 
but  the  Httle  ones — the  little  ones." 

With  these  words  the  girl  fell  on  her  knees  lifting 
her  hands  in  entreaty  to  her  obstinate  parent.  The 
blood  had  mounted  to  the  man's  face  and  eyes,  and 
pressing  his  hand  to  his  purple  forehead  he  sank  back 
in  his  chair  as  if  stricken  with  apoplexy.  His  daughter 
sprang  up  and  offered  him  the  cup  full  of  wine  and 
water  which  was  standing  on  the  table;  but  Keraunus 
pushed  it  aside  with  his  hands,  and  panted  out,  while 
he  struggled  for  breath  : 

"  Supersede  me — in  my  place — turn  me  out  of  this 
palace!  Why  there,  in  that  ebony  trunk,  lies  the  re- 
script of  Euergetes  which  confers  the  stewardship  of  this 
residence  on  my  ancestor  Philip,  and  as  a  hereditary 
dignity  in  his  family.  Now  Philip's  wife  had  the  honor 
of  being  the  king's  mistress — or,  as  some  say,  his 
daughter.  There  lies  the  document,  drawn  up  in  red 
and  black  ink  on  yellow  papyrus  and  ratified  with  the 
seal  and  signature  of  Euergetes  the  Second.  All  the 
princes  of  the  Lagides  have  confinned  it,  all  the  Roman 
prefects  have  respected  it,  and  now — now." 

"  But  father"  said  the  girl  interrupting  her  father,  and 
wringing  her  hands  in  despair,  "  you  still  hold  the  place 
and  if  you  will  only  give  in." 

"Give  in,  give  in,"  shrieked  the  corpulent  steward 
shaking  his  fat  hands  above  his  blood-shot  face.  "I  will 
give  in — I  will  not  bring  you  all  to  misery — for  my 
children's  sake  I  will  allow  myself  to  be  ill-treated  and 
down-trodden,  I  will  go — I  will  go  directly.     Like  the 


58  THE    EMPEROR. 

pelican  I  will  feed  my  children  witli  my  heart's  blood. 
But  you  ought  to  know  what  it  costs  me,  to  humiliate 
myself  thus;  it  is  intolerable  to  me,  and  my  heart  is 
breaking — for  the  architect,  the  architect  has  trampled 
upon  me  as  if  I  were  his  servant;  he  wished — I  heard 
him  with  these  ears — he  shrieked  after  me  a  villanous 
hope  that  I  might  be  smothered  in  my  own  fat — and 
the  physician  has  told  me  I  may  die  of  apoplexy! 
Leave  me,  leave  me.  I  know  those  Romans  are  capa- 
ble of  anything.  Well — here  I  am;  fetch  me  my  saf- 
fron-colored pallium,  that  I  wear  in  the  council,  fetch  me 
my  gold  fillet  for  my  head.  I  will  deck  myself  like  a 
beast  for  sacrifice,  and  I  will  show  him — " 

Not  a  word  of  this  harangue  had  escaped  the  ears 
of  the  architect  who  had  been  at. first  indignant  and 
then  moved  to  laughter,  and  withal  it  had  touched  his 
heart.  A  sluggish  and  torpid  character  was  repugnant 
to  his  vigorous  nature,  and  the  deliberate  and  indifferent 
demeanor  of  the  stout  steward,  on  an  occasion  which 
had  prompted  him  and  all  concerned  to  act  as  quickly 
and  energetically  as  possible,  had  brought  words  to  his 
lips  which  he  nov/  wished  that  he  had  never  spoken. 
It  is  true  that  the  steward's  false  pride  had  roused  his 
indignation,  and  who  can  listen  calmly  to  any  comment 
on  a  stain  on  his  birth  ?  But  the  appeal  of  this  misera- 
ble father's  daughter  had  gone  to  his  heart.  He  pitied 
the  fatuous  simpleton  whom,  with  a  turn  of  his  hand, 
he  could  reduce  to  beggary,  and  who  had  evidently 
been  far  more  deeply  hurt  by  his  words  than  Pontius 
had  been  by  what  he  had  overheard,  and  so  he  followed 
the  kindly  impulse  of  a  noble  nature  to  spare  the  unfor- 
tunate. 

He  rapped  loudly  with  his  knuckles  on  the  inside 


THE    EMPEROR.  59 

of  the  door-post  of  the  ante-room,  coughed  loudly,  and 
then  said,  bowing  deeply  to  the  steward  on  the  thres- 
hold of  the  sitting-room  : 

"  Noble  Keraunus — I  have  come,  as  beseems  me, 
to  pay  you  my  respests.  Excuse  the  lateness  of  the 
hour,  but  you  can  scarcely  imagine  how  busy  I  have 
been  since  we  parted." 

Keraunus  had  at  first  started  at  the  late  visitor, 
then  he  stared  at  him  in  consternation.  He  now  went 
towards  him,  stretched  out  both  hands  as  if  suddenly 
relieved  of  a  nightmare,  and  a  bright  expression  of 
such  warm  and  sincere  satisfaction  overspread  his 
countenance  that  Pontius  wondered  how  he  could  have 
failed  to  observe  what  a  well-cut  face  this  fat  original 
had. 

"  Take  a  seat  at  our  humble  table,"  said  Keraunus, 
"  Go  Selene  and  call  the  slaves.  Perhaps  there  is  yet  a 
pheasant  in  the  house,  a  roast  fowl  or  something  of  the 
kind — but  the  hour,  it  is  true,  is  late." 

"  I  am  deeply  obliged  to  you,"  replied  the  architect, 
smiling.  "  My  supper  is  waiting  for  me  in  the  hall  of 
the  Muses,  and  I  must  return  to  my  work-people.  I 
should  be  grateful  to  you  if  you  would  accompany  me. 
We  must  consult  together  as  to  the  lighting  of  the 
rooms,  and  such  matters  are  best  discussed  over  a  suc- 
culent roast  and  a  flask  of  wine." 

"  I  am  quite  at  your  service,"  said  Keraunus  with 
a  bow. 

"  I  will  go  on  ahead,"  said  the  architect,  "  but  first 
will  you  have  the  goodness  to  give  all  that  you  have 
in  the  way  of  cressets,  lights  and  lamps  to  the  slaves, 
who,  in  a  few  minutes,  shall  await  yoiu:  orders  at  your 
door." 


6o  THE    EMPEROR. 

When  Pontius  had  departed,  Selene  exclaimed  with 
a  deep  sigh : 

"  Oh !  what  a  fright  I  have  had !  I  will  go  now 
and  find  the  lamps.  How  terribly  it  might  have 
ended." 

"  It  is  well  that  he  should  have  come,"  murmured 
Keraunus.  "  Considering  his  birth  and  origin,  the 
architect  is  certainly  a  well-bred  man." 


CHAPTER   V. 

Pontius  had  gone  to  the  steward's  room,  with  a 
frowning  brow,  but  it  was  with  a  smile  on  his  strongly- 
marked  hps,  and  a  brisk  step  that  he  returned  to  his 
work-people.  The  foreman  came  to  meet  him  with 
looks  of  enquiry  as  he  said.  *'  The  steward  was  a  little 
offended  and  with  reason;  but  now  we  are  capital 
friends  and  he  will  do  what  he  can  in  the  matter  of 
lighting." 

In  the  hall  of  the  Muses  he  paused  outside  the 
screen,  behind  which  Pollux  was  working,  and  called 
out: 

"Friend  sculptor,  listen  to  me,  it  is  high  time  to 
have  supper." 

"  It  is,  indeed,"  replied  Pollux,  "else  it  will  be  break- 
fast." 

"  Then  lay  aside  your  tools  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
and  help  me  and  the  palace-steward  to  demolish  the 
food  that  has  been  sent  me." 

"  You  will  need  no  second  assistant  if  Keraunus  is 
there.     Food  melts  before  him  like  ice  before  the  sun." 


THE    EMPEROR.  6l 

"Then  come  and  save  him  from  an  overloaded 
stomach." 

"  Impossible,  for  I  am  just  now  dealing  most  unmer- 
cifully with  a  bowl  full  of  cabbage  and  sausages.  My 
mother  had  cooked  that  food  of  the  gods  and  my  father 
has  brought  it  in  to  his  first-bom  son." 

"  Cabbage  and  sausages !"  repeated  the  architect, 
and  his  tone  betrayed  that  his  hungry  stomach  would 
fain  have  made  closer  acquaintance  with  the  savory 
mess. 

"  Come  in  here,"  continued  Pollux,  "  and  be  my 
guest.  The  cabbage  has  experienced  the  process  which 
is  impending  over  this  palace — it  has  been  warmed  up." 

"  Warmed-up  cabbage  is  better  than  freshly-cooked, 
but  the  fire  over  which  we  must  try  to  make  this  palace 
enjoyable  again,  burns  too  hotly  and  must  be  too  vigor- 
ously stirred.  The  best  things  have  been  all  taken  out, 
and  cannot  be  replaced." 

"  Like  the  sausages,  I  have  fished  out  of  my  cab- 
bages," laughed  the  sculptor.  "After  all  I  cannot  in- 
vite you  to  be  my  guest,  for  it  would  be  a  compliment 
to  this  dish  if  I  were  now  to  call  it  cabbage  with  sau- 
sages. I  have  worked  it  like  a  mine,  and  now  that  the 
vein  of  sausages  is  nearly  exhausted,  little  remains  but 
the  native  soil  in  which  two  or  three  miserable  frag- 
ments remain  as  memorials  of  past  wealth.  But  my 
mother  shall  cook  you  a  mess  of  it  before  long,  and  she 
prepares  it  with  incomparable  skill." 

"A  good  idea,  but  you  are  my  guest." 

"  I  am  replete." 

"Then  come  and  spice  our  meal  with  your  good 
company." 

"  Excuse  me,  sir;  leave  me  rather  here  behind  my 


62  THE    EMPEROR. 

screen.  In  the  first  place,  I  am  in  a  happy  vein,  and 
on  the  right  track ;  I  feel  that  something  good  will 
come  of  this  night's  work." 

"  And  to-morrow — " 

"  Hear  me  out." 

"  Well." 

"  You  would  be  doing  your  other  guest  an  ill-ser- 
vice by  inviting  me," 

"  Do  you  know  the  steward  then  ?" 

"  From  my  earliest  youth,  I  am  the  son  of  the  gate- 
keeper of  the  palace." 

"Oh,  ho!  then  you  came  from  that  pretty  little 
lodge  with  the  ivy  and  the  birds,  and  the  jolly  old  lady." 

"She  is  my  mother — and- the  first  time  the  butcher 
kills  she  will  concoct  for  you  and  me  a  dish  of  sausages 
and  cabbage  without  an  equal." 

"  A  very  pleasing  prospect." 

"  Here  comes  a  hippopotamus — on  closer  inspec- 
tion Keraunus,  the  steward," 

"  Are  you  his  enemy  ?" 

"  I,  no ;  but  he  is  mine — yes,"  replied  Pollux,  "  It  is 
a  foolish  story.  When  we  sup  together  don't  ask  me 
about  it  if  you  care  to  have  a  jolly  companion  And 
do  not  tell  Keraunus  that  I  am  here,  it  will  lead  to  no 
good." 

"  As  you  wish,  and  here  are  our  lamps  too," 

"  Enough  to  light  the  nether  world,"  exclaimed  Pol- 
lux, and  waving  his  hand  to  the  architect  in  farewell  he 
vanished  behind  the  screens  to  devote  himself  entirely 
to  his  model. 


It  was  long  past  midnight,  and  the  slaves  who  had  set 


THE    EMPEROR.  63 

to  work  with  much  zeal  had  finished  their  labors  in  the 
hall  of  the  Muses.  They  were  now  allowed  to  rest  for 
some  hours  on  straw  that  had  been  spread  for  them  in 
another  wing  of  the  building.  The  architect  himself 
wished  to  take  advantage  of  this  time  to  refresh  himself 
by  a  short  sleep,  for  the  exertions  of  the  morrow,  but 
between  this  intention  and  its  fulfilment  an  obstacle  was 
interposed,  the  preposterous  dimensions  namely  of  his 
guest.  He  had  invited  the  steward  on  purpose  to  give 
him  his  fill  of  meat,  and  Keraunus  had  shown  himself 
amenable  to  encouragement  in  this  respect.  But  after 
the  last  dish  had  been  removed  the  steward  thought 
that  good  manners  demanded  that  he  should  honor  his 
entertainer  by  his  illustrious  presence,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  prefect's  good  wine  loosened  the  tongue  of  the 
man,  who  was  not  usually  communicative. 

First  he  spoke  of  the  manifold  infirmities  which  tor- 
mented him  and  endangered  his  life,  and  when  Pontius, 
to  divert  his  talk  into  other  channels,  was  so  imprudent 
as  to  allude  to  the  Council  of  Citizens,  Keraunus  gave 
full  play  to  his  eloquence,  and,  while  he  emptied  cup 
after  cup  of  wine,  tried  to  lay  down  the  reasons  which 
had  made  him  and  his  friends  decide  on  staking  every- 
thing in  order  to  deprive  the  members  of  the  extensive 
community  of  Jews  in  the  city  of  their  rights  as  citizens, 
and  to  expel  them,  if  possible,  from  Alexandria.  So 
warm  was  his  zeal  that  he  totally  forgot  the  presence  of 
the  architect,  and  his  humble  origin,  and  declared  to  be 
indispensable,  that  even  the  descendants  of  freed-slaves 
should  be  disenfranchised. 

Pontius  saw  in  the  steward's  inflamed  eyes  and 
cheeks  that  it  was  the  wine  which  spoke  within  him, 
and  he  made  no  answer;  and  detennined  that  the  rest 


64  THE    EMPEROR. 

he  needed  should  not  be  thus  abridged,  he  rose  from 
table  and  briefly  excusing  himself  he  retired  to  the  room 
in  which  the  couch  had  been  prepared  for  him.  After 
he  had  undressed  he  desired  his  slave  to  see  what 
Keraunus  Avas  about,  and  soon  received  the  reassuring 
information  that  the  steward  was  fast  asleep  and  snoring. 

"  Only  listen,"  said  the  slave,  to  confirm  his  report. 
"  You  can  hear  him  grunting  and  snuffing  as  far  as 
this.  I  pushed  a  cushion  under  his  head,  for  otherwise, 
so  full  as  he  is,  the  stout  gentleman  might  come  to 
some  harm." 

Love  is  a  plant  which  springs  up  for  many  who 
have  never  sown  it,  and  grows  into  a  spreading  tree  for 
many  who  have  neither  fostered  nor  tended  it.  How 
little  had  Keraunus  ever  done  to  win  the  heart  of  his 
daughter,  how  much  on  the  contrary  which  could  not 
fail  to  overshadow  and  trouble  her  young  life.  And 
yet  Selene,  whose  youth — for  she  was  but  nineteen — 
needed  repose  and  to  whom  the  evening  with  the  re- 
prieve of  sleep  brought  more  pleasure  than  the  morning 
with  its  load  of  cares  and  labor,  sat  by  the  three- 
branched  lamp  and  watched,  and  tormented  herself 
more  and  more  as  it  grew  later  and  later,  at  her  father's 
long  absence.  About  a  week  before  the  strong  man 
had  suddenly  lost  consciousness ;  only,  it  is  true,  for  a 
few  minutes,  and  the  physician  had  told  her  that  though 
he  appeared  to  be  in  superabundant  health,  the  attack 
indicated  that  he  must  follow  his  prescriptions  strictly 
and  avoid  all  kinds  of  excess.  A  single  indiscretion, 
he  had  declared,  might  swiftly  and  suddenly  cut  the 
thread  of  his  existence.  After  her  father  had  gone  out 
in  obedience  to  the  architect's  invitation,  Selene  had 
brought  out  her  youngest  brothers'  and  sisters'  garments, 


THE    EMPEROR.  65 

in  order  to  mend  them.  Her  sister  Arsinoe,  who  was 
her  junior  by  two  years,  and  whose  fingers  were  as 
nimble  as  her  own,  might  indeed  have  helped  her,  but 
she  hacj  gone  to  bed  early  and  was  sleeping  by  the 
children  who  could  not  be  left  untended  at  night.  Her 
female  slave,  who  had  been  in  her  grandmother's 
service,  ought  to  have  assisted  her;  but  the  old  half- 
blind  negress  saw  even  worse  by  lamp-light  than  by 
daylight,  and  after  a  few  stitches  could  do  no  more. 
Selene  sent  her  to  bed  and  sat  down  alone  to  her  work. 

For  the  first  hour  she  sewed  away  without  looking  up, 
considering,  meanwhile,  how  she  could  best  contrive  to 
support  the  family  till  the  end  of  the  month  on  the  few 
drachmae  she  could  dispose  of  As  it  got  later  she 
grew  wearier  and  wearier,  but  still  she  sat  at  the  work, 
though  her  pretty  head  often  sank  upon  her  breast. 
She  must  await  her  father's  return,  for  a  potion  prepared 
by  the  physician  stood  waiting  for  him,  and  she  feared 
he  would  forget  it  if  she  did  not  remind  him. 

By  the  end  of  the  second  hour  sleep  overcame  her, 
and  she  felt  as  if  the  chair  she  was  sitting  on  was  giving 
way  under  her,  and  as  if  it  was  sinking  at  first  slowly 
and  then  quicker  and  quicker,  into  a  deep  abyss  that 
opened  beneath  her.  Looking  up  for  help  in  her 
dream,  she  could  see  nothing  but  her  father's  face, 
which  looked  aside  with  indifference.  As  her  dream 
went  on  she  called  him  and  called  him  again,  but  for  a 
long  time  he  did  not  seem  to  hear  her.  At  last  he 
looked  down  at  her  and  when  he  perceived  her  he 
smiled,  but  instead  of  helping  her  he  picked  up  stones 
and  clods  from  the  edge  of  the  gulf  and  threw  them  on 
her  hands  with  which  she  had  clutched  the  brambles 
and  roots  that  grew   out  of  the  rift  of  the  rocks.     She 

The  Emperor.  I.  5 


66  THE    EMPEROR. 

entreated  him  to  cease,  implored  him,  shrieked  to  him 
to  spare  her,  but  not  a  muscle  moved  in  the  face  above 
her  J  it  seemed  set  in  a  vacant  smile,  and  even  his  heart 
was  dead  too,  for  he  ruthlessly  flung  down  now  a  pebble, 
now  a  clod,  one  after  the  other,  till  her  hands  Avere 
losing  their  last  feeble  hold  and  she  was  on  the  point  of 
falling  into  the  fatal  gulf  below.  Her  own  cry  of  terror 
aroused  her,  but  during  the  brief  process  of  returning 
from  her  dream  to  actuality,  she  saw  through  swiftly 
parting  mists^only  for  an  instant,  and  yet  quite  plainly 
— the  tall  grass  of  a  meadow,  spangled  with  ox-eye 
daisies,  white  and  gold,  with  violet-hued  blue  bells  and 
scarlet  poppies,  among  which  she  was  lying  as  in  a 
soft  green  bed,  while  near  the  sward  lay  a  sparkling 
blue  lake  and  behind  it  rose  beautiful  swelling  hills, 
with  red  cliffs,  and  green  gi'oves,  and  meadows  bright 
in  the  clear  sunshine.  A  clear  sky,  across  which  a 
soft  breeze  gently  blew  light  silvery  flakes  of  cloud,  bent 
over  the  lovely  but  fleeting  picture,  which  she  could  not 
compare  with  anything  she  had  ever  seen  near  her  own 
home. 

She  had  only  slept  for  a  short  time,  but  when,  once 
more  thoroughly  awake,  she  rubbed  her  eyes,  she 
thought  her  dream  must  have  lasted  for  hours. 

One  flame  of  the  three-branched  lamp  had  flickered 
into  extinction  and  the  wick  of  another  was  beginning 
to  waste.  She  hastily  put  it  out  with  a  pair  of  tongs 
that  hung  by  a  chain,  and  then  after  pouring  fresh  oil 
into  the  lamp  that  was  still  burning  she  carried  the  light 
into  her  father's  sleeping  room. 

He  had  not  yet  returned.  She  was  seized  with  a 
mortal  terror.  Had  the  architect's  wine  bereft  him  of 
his  senses  ?     Had  Tie  on  his  way  back  to  his  rooms  been 


THE    EMPEROR.  67 

seized  with  a  fresh  attack  of  giddiness?  In  spirit  she 
saw  the  heavy  man  incapable  of  raising  himself,  dying 
perhaps  where  he  had  fallen. 

No  choice  remained  to  her;  she  must  go  at  once  to 
the  hall  of  the  Muses  and  see  what  had  happened  to  her 
father,  pick  him  up,  give  him  help  or — if  he  still  were 
feasting — endeavor  to  tempt  him  back  by  any  excuse  she 
could  find.  Everything  was  at  stake ;  her  father's  life 
and  with  it  maintenance  and  shelter  for  eight  helpless 
creatures. 

The  December  night  was  stormy,  a  keen  and  bitter 
wind  blew  through  the  ill-closed  opening  in  the  roof  of 
the  room  as  Selene,  before  she  began  her  expedition,  tied 
a  handkerchief  over  her  head  and  threw  over  her  shoul- 
ders a  white  mantle  which  had  been  worn  by  her  dead 
mother.  In  the  long  corridor  which  lay  between  her 
father's  rooms  and  the  front  portion  of  the  palace,  she 
had  to  screen  the  flickering  light  of  the  little  lamp  with 
her  left  hand,  carrying  it  in  her  right ;  the  flame  blown 
about  by  the  draught  and  her  own  figure  were  mirrored 
here  and  there  in  the  polished  surface  of  the  dark  mar- 
ble. The  thick  sandals  she  had  tied  on  to  her  feet 
roused  loud  echoes  in  the  empty  rooms  as  they  fell  on 
the  stone  pavements,  and  terror  possessed  Selene's  anx- 
ious soul.  Her  fingers  trembled  as  they  held  the  lamp 
and  her  heart  beat  audibly  as,  with  bated  breath,  she 
went  through  the  cupolaed  hall  in  which  Ptolemy  Euer- 
getes  '  the  fat '  was  said,  some  years  ago,  to  have  mur- 
dered his  own  son,  and  in  which  even  a  deep  breath 
roused  an  echo. 

But  even  in  this  room  she  did  not  forget  to  look  to 
the  right  and  left  for  her  father.  She  breathed  a  sigh 
of  relief  when  she  perceived  a  streak  of  light   which 


68  THE    EMPEROR. 

shone  through  the  gaping  rift  of  a  cracked  side-door  of 
the  hall  of  the  Muses  and  fell  in  a  broken  reflection  on 
the  floor  and  the  wall  of  the  last  room  through  which 
she  had  to  pass.  She  now  entered  the  large  hall  which 
was  dimly  lighted  by  the  lamps  behind  the  sculptor's 
screen,  and  by  several  tapers,  now  burnt  down  low. 
These  were  standing  on  a  table  knocked  together  out 
of  blocks  of  wood  and  planks  at  the  extreme  end  of  the 
hall,  and  behind  this  her  father  was  sound  asleep. 

The  deep  notes  brought  out  of  the  sleeper's  broad 
chest,  were  echoed  in  a  very  uncanny  way  from  the  bare 
walls  of  the  vast  empty  room,  and  she  was  frightened  by 
them  and  still  more  by  the  long  black  shadows  of  the 
pillars,  that  lay,  like  barriers,  across  her  path.  She  stood 
listening  in  tlie  middle  of  the  hall  and  soon  recognized 
in  the  alarming  tones  a  sound  that  was  only  too  familiar. 
Without  a  moment's  hesitation  she  started  to  run,  and 
hastened  to  the  sleeper,  shook  him,  pushed  him,  called 
him,  sprinkled  his  forehead  with  water,  and  appealed 
to  him  by  the  tenderest  names  with  which  her  sister 
Arsinoe  was  wont  to  coax  him.  When,  in  spite  of  all 
this,  he  neither  spoke  nor  stirred,  sl^e  flung  the  full  light 
of  the  lamp  on  his  face.  Then  she  thought  she  per- 
ceived that  a  bluish  tinge  had  overspread  his  bloated 
features,  and  she  broke  into  the  deep,  agonized,  weep- 
ing which,  a  few  hours  previously  had  touched  the 
architect's  heart. 

There  was  a  sudden  stir  behind  the  screens  which 
enclosed  the  sculptor  and  the  work  in  progress.  Pol- 
lux had  been  working  for  a  long  time  with  zeal  and 
pleasure,  but  at  last  the  steward's  snoring  had  begun  to 
disturb  him.  The  body  of  the  Muse  had  already  taken 
a  definite  form  and  he  could  begin  to  work  out  the  head 


THE    EMPEROR.  .  69 

with  the  earliest  dawn  of  day.  He  now  dropped  his 
arms  wearily,  for  as  soon  as  he  ceased  to  create  with 
his  whole  heart  and  mind  he  felt  tired,  and  saw  plainly 
that  without  a  model  he  could  do  nothing  satisfactory 
with  the  drapery  of  his  Urania.  So  he  pulled  his  stool 
up  to  a  great  chest  full  of  gypsum  to  get  a  little  repose 
by  leaning  against  it. 

But  sleep  avoided  the  artist  who  was  too  much  ex- 
cited by  his  rapid  night's  work,  and  as  soon  as  Selene 
opened  the  door  he  sat  upright  and  peeped  through  an 
opening  between  the  frames  of  his  place  of  retirement. 
When  he  saw  the  tall  draped  figure  in  whose  hand  a 
lamp  was  trembling,  when  he  watched  her  cross  the 
spacious  hall,  and  then  suddenly  stand  still,  he  was  not 
a  little  startled,  but  this  did  not  hinder  him  from  noting 
every  step  of  the  nocturnal  spectre  with  far  more  curi- 
osity than  alarm.  Then,  when  Selene  looked  round  her, 
and  the  lamp  illuminated  her  face,  he  recognized  the 
steward's  daughter,  and  immediately  knew  what  she 
must  be  seeking. 

Her  vain  attempts  to  rouse  the  sleeper,  though 
somewhat  pathetic,  had  in  them  at  the  same  time  some- 
thing irresistibly  ludicrous,  and  Pollux  felt  sorely  tempted 
to  laugh.  But  as  soon  as  Selene  began  to  weep  so  bit- 
terly he  hastily  pushed  apart  two  of  the  laths  of  the 
screen,  went  up  and  called  her  name,  at  first  softly  not  to 
frighten  her,  and  then  more  loudly.  When  she  turned 
her  head  he  begged  her  warmly  not  to  be  alarmed  for 
he  was  no  ghost,  only  a  very  humble  and  ordinary  mor- 
tal, in  fact — as  she  might  see — nothing  more,  alas!,  than 
the  son  of  Euphorian,  the  gate-keeper,  good  for  nothing 
as  yet,  but  treading  the  path  to  something  better. 

"  You,  Pollux  ?"  asked  the  girl  with  surprise. 


70  TKK     EMPEROR. 

"  The  very  man.     But  you — can  I  help  you  ?" 

"  My  poor  father,"  sobbed  Selene.  "  He  does  not 
stir,  he  is  immovable — and  his  face — oh !  merciful 
gods." 

"  A  man  who  snores  is  not  dead,"  said  the  sculptor. 

"  But  the  doctor  told  him — " 

"  He  is  not  even  ill !  Pontius  only  gave  him 
stronger  wine  to  drink  than  he  is  used  to.  Let  him  be ; 
he  is  sleeping  with  the  pillow  under  his  neck,  as  com- 
fortably as  a  child.  When  he  began  just  now  to 
trumpet  a  little  too  loud  I  whistled  as  loud  as  a  plover, 
for  that  often  silences  a  snorer;  but  I  could  more  easily 
have  made  those  stone  Muses  dance  than  have  roused 
him." 

"  If  only  we  could  get  him  to  bed." 

"  Well,  if  you  have  four  horses  at  hand." 

"  You  are  as  bad  as  you  ever  were  !" 

"  A  little  less  so,  Selene,  only  you  must  become 
accustomed  again  to  my  way  of  speaking.  This  time  I 
only  mean  that  we  two  together  are  not  strong  enough, 
to  carry  him  away." 

"  But  what  can  I  do,  then  ?     The  doctor  said — " 

"  Never  mind  the  doctor.  The  complaint  your 
father  is  suffering  from  is  one  I  know  well.  It  will  be 
gone  to-morrow,  perhaps  by  sundown,  and  the  only 
pain  it  will  leave  behind,  he  will  feel  under  his  wig. 
Only  leave  him  to  sleep." 

"  But  it  is  so  cold  here." 

"  Take  my  cloak  and  cover  him  with  that." 

"  Then  you  will  be  frozen." 

"  I  ara  used  to  it.  How  long  has  Keraunus  had 
dealings  with  the  doctor  ?" 

Selene  related   the  accident  that   had  befallen  her 


THE    EMPEROR.  71 

i 

father  and  how  justified  were  her  fears.  The  sculptor 
hstened  to  her  in  silence  and  then  said  in  a  quite  altered 
tone : 

"  I  am  truly  sorry  to  hear  it.  Let  us  put  some  cold 
water  on  his  forehead,  and  until  the  slaves  come  back 
again  I  will  change  the  wet  cloth  every  quarter  of  an 
hour.  Here  is  a  jar  and  a  handkerchief — good,  they 
might  have  been  left  on  purpose.  Perhaps,  too,  it  will 
wake  him,  and  if  not  -the  people  shall  carry  him  to  his 
own  rooms." 

"  Disgraceful,  disgraceful !"  sighed  the  girl. 

"  Not  at  all ;  the  high-priest  of  Serapis  even  is 
sometimes  unwell.     Only  let  me  see  to  it." 

"  It  will  excite  him  afresh  if  he  sees  you.  He  is  so 
angry  with  you — so  very  angry." 

"  Omnipotent  Zeus,  what  harm  have  I  done  you, 
fat  father !  The  gods  forgive  the  sins  of  the  wise,  an9 
a  man  will  not  forgive  the  fault  committed  by  a  stupid 
lad  in  a  moment  of  imprudence." 

"  You  mocked  at  him." 

"  I  set  a  clay  head  that  was  like  him  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  fat  Silenus  near  the  gate,  that  had  lost 
its  OAvn  head.  It  was  my  first  piece  of  independent 
work." 

"  But  you  did  it  to  vex  my  father." 

"  Certainly  not,  Selene;  I  was  delighted  with  the 
joke  and  nothing  more." 

"  But  you  knew  how  touchy  he  is." 

"  And  does  a  wild  boy  of  fifteen  ever  reflect  on  the 
consequences  of  his  audacity  ?  If  he  had  but  given 
me  a  thrashing  his  annoyance  would  have  discharged 
itself  like  thunder  and  lightning,  and  the  air  would 
have  been  clear  again.     But,  as  it  was,  he  cut  the  face 


72  THE     EMPEROR. 

off  the  work  with  a  knife,  and  deUberately  trod  the 
pieces  under  foot  as  they  lay  on  the  ground.  He  gave 
me  one  single  blow — with  his  thumb— which  I  still 
feel,  it  is  true,  and  then  he  treated  me  and  my  parents 
with  such  scorn,  so  coldly  and  hardly,  with  such  bitter 
contempt — " 

"  He  never  is  really  violent,  but  wrath  seems  to  eat 
him  inwardly,  and  I  have  rarely  seen  him  so  angry  as 
he  was  that  time." 

"  But  if  he  had  only  settled  the  account  with  me  on 
the  spot !  but  my  father  was  by,  and  hot  words  fell  like 
rain,  and  my  mother  added  her  sliare,  and  from  that 
time  there  has  been  utter  hostility  between  our  little 
house  and  you  up  here.  What  hurt  me  most  was  that 
you  and  your  sister  were  forbidden  to  come  to  see  us 
and  to  play  with  me." 

"  That  has  spoilt  many  pleasant  hours  for  me, 
too." 

"  It  was  nice  when  we  used  to  dress  up  in  my 
father's  theatrical  finery  and  cloaks." 

"And  when  you  made  us  dolls  out  of  clay." 
"  Or  when  we  performed  the  Olympian  games." 
"  I    was   always    the    teacher  when   we   played    at 
school  with  our  little  brothers  and  sisters." 
"  Arsinoe  gave  you  most  trouble." 
"  Oh !  and  what  fun  when  we  went  fishing !" 
"  And  when  we  brought  home  the  fishes  and  mother 
gave  us  meal  and  raisins  to  cook  them." 

"  Do  you  remember  the  festival  of  Adonis,  and 
how  I  stopped  the  runaway  horse  of  that  Numidian 
officer  ?" 

"  The  horse  had  knocked  over  Arsinoe,  and  when 
we  got  home  mother  gave  you  an  almond-cake." 


THE    EMPEROR.  73 

"  And  your  ungrateful  sister  bit  a  great  piece  out  of 
it  and  left  me  only  a  tiny  morsel.  Is  Arsinoe  as  pretty 
as  she  promised  to  become  ?  It  is  two  years  since  I 
last  saw  her ;  at  our  place  we  never  have  time  to  leave 
work  till  it  is  dark.  For  eight  months  I  had  to  work 
for  the  master  at  Ptolemais,  and  often  saw  the  old  folks 
but  once  in  the  month." 

"  We  go  out  very  little,  too,  and  we  are  not  allowed 
to  go  into  your  parents'  house.     My  sister — " 

"  Is  she  pretty  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  think  she  is.  Whenever  she  can  get  hold 
of  a  piece  of  ribbon  she  plaits  it  in  her  hair,  and  the 
men  in  the  street  turn  round  to  look  at  her.  She  is 
sixteen  now." 

"  Sixteen  !  Wliat,  little  Arsinoe !  Why,  how  long 
then  is  it  since  your  mother  died  ?" 

"  Four  years  and  eight  months." 

"  You  remember  the  date  very  exactly ;  such  a 
mother  is  not  easily  forgotten,  indeed.  She  was  a  good 
woman  and  a  kinder  I  never  met.  I  know,  too,  that 
she  tried  to  mollify  your  father's  feeling,  but  she  could 
not  succeed,  and  then  she  need  must  die !" 

"  Yes,"  said  Selene  gloomily.  "  How  could  the 
gods  decree  it !  They  are  often  more  cruel  than  the 
hardest  hearted  man." 

"  Your  poor  little  brothers  and  sisters  !" 

The  girl  bowed  her  head  sadly  and  Pollux  stood 
for  some  time  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground.  Then 
he  raised  his  head  and  exclaimed : 

"  I  have  something  for  you  that  will  please  you." 

"  Nothing  ever  pleases  me  now  she  is  dead." 

"  Yes,  yes  indeed,"  replied  the  young  sculptor 
eagerly.     "  I  could  not  forget  the  good  soul,  and  once 


74  -IriE     J^-MPKROK. 

in  my  idle  moments  I  modelled  her  bust  from  memory. 
To-morrow  I  will  bring  it  to  you." 

"  Oh !"  cried  Selene,  and  her  large  heavy  eyes 
brightened  with  a  sunny  gleam. 

"  Now,  is  not  it  true,  you  are  pleased  ?" 

"  Yes  indeed,  very  much.  But  when  my  father 
learns  that  it  is  you  who  have  given  me  the  por- 
trait— " 

"  Is  he  capable  of  destroying  it  ?" 

"  If  he  does  not  destroy  it,  he  will  not  suffer  it  in 
the  house  as  soon  as  he  knows  that  you  made  it." 

Pollux  took  the  handkerchief  from  the  steward's 
head,  moistened  it  afresh,  and  exclaimed  as  he  re- 
arranged it  on  the  forehead  of  the  sleeping  man  : 

"  I  have  an  idea.  All  that  matters  is  that  my  bust 
should  serve  to  remind  you  often  of  your  mother ;  the 
bust  need  not  stand  in  your  rooms.  The  busts  of  the 
women  of  the  house  of  Ptolemy  stand  on  the.  rotunda, 
which  you  can  see  from  your  balcony,  and  v/hich  you 
can  pass  whenever  you  please ;  some  of  them  are  badly 
mutilated  and  must  be  got  rid  of.  I  will  undertake  to 
restore  the  Berenice  and  put  your  mother's  head  on  her 
shoulders.  Then  you  have  only  to  go  out  and  look  at 
her.     Will  that  do  ?" 

"Yes,  Pollux;  you  are  a  good  man." 

"  So  I  told  you  just  now.  I  am  beginning  to  im- 
prove. But  time — time !  if  I  am  to  undertake  to  repair 
Berenice  I  must  begin  by  saving  the  minutes." 

"  Go  back  to  your  work  now;  I  know  how  to  apply 
a  wet  compress  only  too  well." 

With  these  words  Selene  threw  back  her  mantle 
over  her  shoulders  so  as  to  leave  her  hands  free  for  use, 
and  stood  with  her  slender  figure,  her  pale  face,  and  the 


THE    EMPEROR.  75 

fine  broadly-flowing  folds  of  rich  stuff,  like  a  statue  in 
the  eyes  of  the  young  sculptor. 

"Stop — stay  so — just  so,"  cried  Pollux  to  the 
astonished  girl,  so  loudly  and  eagerly  that  she  was 
startled. 

"  Your  cloak  hangs  with  a  wonderfully-free  flow 
fi-om  your  shoulders — in  the  name  of  all  the  gods  do 
not  touch  it.  If  only  I  might  model  from  it  I  should 
in  a  few  minutes  gain  a  whole  day  for  our  Berenice.  I 
will  wet  the  handkerchief  at  intervals  in  the  pauses." 

Without  waiting  for  Selene's  answer  the  sculptor 
hastened  into  his  nook  and  returned  first  with  one  of 
the  lamps  he  worked  by  in  each  hand,  and  some  small 
tools  in  his  mouth,  and  then  fetched  his  wax  model 
which  he  placed  on  the  outer  side  of  the  table,  behind 
which  the  steward  was  sleeping.  The  tapers  were  put 
out,  the  lamps  pushed  aside,  and  raised  or  lowered,  and 
when  at  last  a  tolerably  suitable  light  was  procured 
Pollux  threw  himself  on  a  stool,  straddled  his  legs, 
craned  his  head  forward  as  far  as  his  neck  would  allow, 
looking,  with  his  hooked  nose,  like  a  vulture  that  strives 
to  descry  his  distant  prey — cast  his  eyes  down,  raised 
them  again  to  take  in  something  fresh,  and  after  a 
long  gaze  looked  down  again  while  his  fingers  and 
nails  moved  over  the  surface  of  the  wax-figure,  sink- 
ing into  the  plastic  material,  applying  new  pieces  to 
apparently  complete  portions,  removing  others  with  a 
decided  nip  and  rounding  them  off"  with  bewildering 
rapidity  to  use  them  for  a  fresh  purpose. 

He  seemed  to  be  seized  with  cramp  in  his  hands, 
but  still  under  his  knotted  brow  his  eye  shone  earnest, 
resolute  and  calm,  and  yet  full  of  profound  and  speech- 
less inspiration.     Selene  had  said  not  a  word  that  per- 


76  THE    EMPEROR. 

mitted  his  using  her  as  a  model;  but,  as  if  his  en- 
thusiasm was  infectious,  she  remained  motionless,  and 
when,  as  he  worked,  his  gaze  met  hers  she  could  detect 
the  stem  earnestness  which  at  this  moment  possessed 
her  eager  companion. 

Neither  of  them  opened  their  hps  for  some  time. 
At  last  he  stood  back  from  his  work,  stooping  low  to 
look  first  at  Selene  and  then  at  his  statuette  with  keen 
examination  from  head  to  foot;  and  then,  drawing  a 
deep  breath,  aifd  rubbing  the  wax  over  with  his  finger, 
he  said : 

"  There,  that  is  how  it  must  go !  Now  I  will  wet 
your  father's  handkerchief  and  then  we  can  go  on 
again.     If  you  are  tired  you  can  rest." 

She  availed  herself  but  little  of  this  permission  and 
presently  he  began  work  again.  As  he  proceeded  care- 
fully to  replace  some  folds  of  her  drapery  which  had 
fallen  out  of  place,  she  moved  her  foot  as  if  to  draw 
back,  but  he  begged  her  earnestly  to  stand  still  and 
she  obeyed  his  request. 

Pollux  now  used  his  fingers  and  modelling  tools 
more  calmly ;  his  gaze  was  less  wistful  and  he  began  to 
talk  again. 

"  You  are  very  pale,"  he  said.  "  To  be  sure  the 
lamp-light  and  a  sleepless  night  have  something  to  do 
with  it." 

"  I  look  just  the  same  by  daylight,  but  I  am  not  ill." 

"  I  thought  Arsinoe  would  have  been  like  your 
mother,  but  now  I  see  many  features  of  her  face  in 
yours  again.  The  oval  of  their  form  is  the  same  and, 
in  both,  the  line  of  the  nose  runs  almost  straight  to  the 
forehead;  you  have  her  eyes  and  the  same  bend  of  the 
brow,  but  your  mouth  is  smaller  and  more  sharply  cut. 


THE    EMPEROR.  77 

and  she  could  hardly  have  made  such  a  heavy  knot  of 
her  hair.     I  fancy,  too,  that  yours  is  lighter  than  hers." 

"  As  a  girl  she  must  have  had  still  more  hair,  and 
perhaps  she  may  have  been  as  fair  as  I  was — I  am 
brown  now." 

"  Another  thing  you  inherit  from  her  is  that  your 
hair,  without  being  curly,  lies  upon  your  head  in  such 
soft  waves." 

"  It  is  easy  to  keep  in  order." 

"Are  not  you  taller  than  she  was  ?"  ' 

"  I  fancy  so,  but  as  she  was  stouter  she  looked 
shorter.     Will  you  soon  have  done  ?" 

"  You  are  getting  tired  of  standing  ?"  ► 

"  Not  very." 

"  Then  have  a  little  more  patience.  Your  face  re- 
minds me  more  and  more  of  our  early  years ;  I  should 
be  glad  to  see  Arsinoe  once  more.  I  feel  at  this  mo- 
ment as  if  time  had  moved  backwards  a  good  piece. 
Have  you  the  same  feeling  ?" 

Selene  shook  her  head. 

"  You  are  not  happy  ?" 

"  No." 

"  I  know  full  well  that  you  have  very  heavy  duties 
to  perform  for  your  age." 

"  Things  go  as  they  may." 

"  Nay,  nay.  I  know  you  do  not  let  things  go  hap- 
hazard. You  take  care  of  your  brothers  and  sisters  like 
a  mother." 

"  Like  a  mother!"  repeated  Selene,  and  she  smiled  a 
bitter  negative. 

"  Of  course  a  mother's  love  is  a  thing  by  itself,  but 
your  father  and  the  little  ones  have  every  reason  to  be 
satisfied  with  yours." 


78  THE     EMPEROR. 

"  The  little  ones  are  perhaps,  and  Helios  who  is 
blind,  but  Arsinoe  does  what  she  can." 

"  You  certainly  are  not  content,  I  can  hear  it  in 
your  voice,  and  you  used  formerly  to  be  as  merry  and 
happy  as  your  sister,  though  perhaps  not  so  saucy." 

"  Formerly — " 

"  How  sadly  that  sounds !  And  yet  you  are  hand- 
some, you  are  young,  and  life  lies  before  you." 

"  But  what  a  life !" 

"  Well,  what  ?"  asked  the  sculptor,  and  taking  his 
hands  from  his  work  he  looked  ardently  at  the  fair  pale 
girl  before  him  and  cried  out  fervently :  "  A  life  which 
might  be  full  of  happiness  and  satisfied  affection." 

The  girl  shook  her  head  in  negation  and  answered 
coldly : 

"  'Love  is  joy,'  says  the  Christian  woman  who  super- 
intends us  at  work  in  the  papyrus  factory,  and  since 
my  mother  died  I  have  had  no  love.  I  enjoyed  all  my 
share  of  happiness  once  for  all  in  my  childhood,  now 
I  am  content  if  only  we  are  spared  the  the  worst  mis- 
fortunes. Otherwise  I  take  what  each  day  brings,  be- 
cause I  can  not  do  otherwise.  My  heart  is  empty,  and 
if  I  ever  feel  anything  keenly,  it  is  dread.  I  have  long 
since  ceased  to  expect  any  thing  good  of  the  future." 

"  Girl !"  exclaimed  Pollux.  "  Why,  what  has  been 
happening  to  you  ?  I  do  not  understand  half  of  what 
you  are  saying.  How  came  you  in  the  papyrus  fac- 
tory ?" 

"  Do  not  betray  me,"  begged  Selene.  "  If  my  father 
were  to  hear  of  it." 

"  He  is  asleep,  and  what  you  confide  to  me  no  one 
will  ever  hear  of  again." 

"  Why  should  I  conceal  it  ?     I  go  every  day  with 


THE     EMPEROR.  79 

Arsinoe  for  two  hours  to  the  manufactory,  and  we  work 
there  to  earn  a  Httle  money." 

"  Behind  your  father's  back  ?" 

"  Yes,  he  would  rather  that  we  should  starve  than 
allow  it.  Every  day  I  feel  the  same  loathing  for  the 
deceit ;  but  we  could  not  get  on  without  it,  for  Arsinoe 
thinks  of  nothing  but  herself,  plays  draughts  with  my 
father,  curls  his  hair,  plays  wdth  the  children  as  if  they 
were  dolls,  but  it  is  my  part  to  take  care  of  them." 

"And  you,  you  say,  have  no  share  of  love.  Hap- 
pily no  one  believes  you,  and  I  least  of  all.  Only 
lately  my  mother  was  telling  me  about  you,  and  I 
thought  you  were  a  girl  who  might  turn  out  just  such  a 
wife  as  a  woman  ought  to  be." 

"  And  now  ?" 

"  Now,  I  know  it  for  certain." 

"  You  may  be  mistaken." 

"  No,  no !  your  name  is  Selene,  and  you  are  as  gen- 
tle as  the  kindly  moonlight;  names,  even,  have  their 
significance." 

"  And  my  blind  brother  who  has  never  even  seen 
the  light  is  called  Helios !"  answered  the  girl. 

Pollux  had  spoken  with  much  warmth,  but  Selene's 
last  words  startled  him  and  checked  the  effervescence 
of  his  feelings.  Finding  he  did  not  answer  her  bitter 
exclamation,  she  said,  at  first  coolly,  but  with  increasing 
warmth : 

"You  are  beginning  to  believe  me,  and  you  are 
right,  for  what  I  do  for  the  children  is  not  done  out  of 
love,  or  out  of  kindness,  or  because  I  set  their  welfare 
above  my  own.  I  have  inherited  my  father's  pride,  and 
it  would  be  odious  to  me  if  my  brothers  and  sisters 
went  about  in  rags,  and  people  thought  we  were  as  poor 


8o  THE     EMPEROR. 

and  helpless  as  we  really  are.  What  is  most  horrible 
to  me  is  sickness  in  the  house,  for  that  increases  the 
anxiety  I  always  feel  and  swallows  up  my  last  coin ;  the 
children  must  not  perish  for  want  of  it.  I  do  not  want 
to  make  myself  out  worse  than  I  am;  it  grieves  me  too 
to  see  them  drooping.  But  nothing  that  I  do  brings  me 
happiness — at  most  it  moderates  my  fears.  You  ask 
what  I  am  afraid  of? — of  everything,  everything  that 
can  happen  to  me,  for  I  have  no  reason  to  look  forward 
to  anything  good.  When  there  is  a  knock,  it  may  be  a 
creditor;  when  people  look  at  Arsinoe  in  the  street,  I 
seem  to  see  dishonor  lurking  round  her;  when  my  father 
acts  against  the  advice  of  the  physician  I  feel  as  if 
we  were  standing  already  roofless  in  the  open  street. 
What  is  there  that  I  can  do  with  a  happy  mind  ?  I 
certainly  am  not  idle,  still  I  envy  the  woman  who  can 
sit  with  her  hands  in  her  lap  and  be  waited  on  by 
slaves,  and  if  a  golden  treasure  fell  into  my  possession, 
I  would  never  stir  a  finger  again,  and  would  sleep  every 
day  till  the  sun  was  high  and  make  slaves  look  after 
my  father  and  the  children.  My  life  is  sheer  misery. 
If  ever  we  see  better  days  I  shall  be  astonished,  and 
before  I  have  got  over  my  astonishment  it  will  all  be 
over." 

The  sculptor  felt  a  cold  chill,  and  his  heart  which 
had  opened  wide  to  his  old  playfellow  shrank  again 
within  him.  Before  he  could  find  the  right  words  of 
encouragement  which  he  sought,  they  heard  in  the  hall, 
where  the  workmen  and  slaves  were  sleeping,  the  blast 
of  a  trumpet  intended  to  awake  them.  Selene  started, 
drew  her  mantle  more  closely  round  her,  begged  Pollux 
to  take  care  of  her  father,  and  to  hide  the  wine-jar  which 
was  standing  near  him  from  the  work-people  and  then,, 


THE     EMPEROR.  8 1 

forgetting  her  lamp,  she  went  hastily  toward  the  door 
by  which  she  had  entered.  Pollux  hurried  after  her  to 
light  the  way  and  while  he  accompanied  her  as  far  as 
the  door  of  her  rooms,  by  his  warm  and  urgent  words 
which  appealed  wonderfully  to  her  heart,  he  extracted 
from  her  a  promise  to  stand  once  more  in  her  mantle 
as  his  model. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  the  steward  was  safe  in 
bed  and  still  sleeping  soundly,  while  Pollux,  who  had 
stretched  himself  on  a  mattress  behind  his  screen,  could 
not  for  a  long  time  cease  to  think  of  the  pale  girl  with 
her  benumbed  soul.  At  last  sleep  overcame  him  too, 
and  a  sweet  dream  showed  him  pretty  little  Arsinoe, 
who  but  for  him  must  infallibly  have  been  killed  by  the 
Numidian's  restive  horse,  taking  away  her  sister  Selene's 
almond-cake  and  giving  it  to  him.  The  pale  girl  sub- 
mitted quietly  to  the  robbery  and  only  smiled  coldly 
and  silently  to  herself. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Alexandria  was  in  the  greatest  excitement. 

The  Emperor's  visit  now  immediately  impending 
had  tempted  the  busy  hive  of  citizens  away  from  the 
common  round  of  life  in  which,  day  after  day, — swarm- 
ing, hurrying,  pushing  each  other  on,  or  running  each 
other  down — they  raced  for  bread  and  for  the  means 
of  filling  their  hours  of  leisure  with  pleasures  and 
amusements.  The  unceasing  wheel  of  industry  to-day 
had  pause  in  the  factories,  workshops,  storehouses 
and  courts  of  justice,  for  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 

Tlie  Emperor.  I.  6 


82  THE    EMPEROR. 

men  were  inspired  by  the  same  desire  to  celebrate 
Hadrian's  visit  with  unheard-of  splendor.  All  that  the 
citizens  could  command  of  inventive  skill,  of  wealth, 
and  of  beauty  was  called  forth  to  be  displayed  in  the 
games  and  processions  which  were  to  fill  up  a  number 
of  days.  The  richest  of  the  heathen  citizens  had 
undertaken  the  management  of  the  pieces  to  be  per- 
formed in  the  Theatre,  of  the  mock  fight  on  the  lake, 
and  of  the  sanguinary  games  in  the  Amphitheatre;  and 
so  great  was  the  number  of  opulent  persons  that  many 
more  were  prepared  to  pay  for  smaller  projects,  for 
which  there  was  no  opening.  Nevertheless  the  arrange- 
ments for  certain  portions  of  the  procession,  in  which 
even  the  less  wealthy  were  to  take  a  share,  the  erection 
of  the  building  in  the  Hippodrome,  the  decorations 
in  the  streets,  and  the  preparations  for  entertaining 
the  Roman  visitors  absorbed  sums  so  large  that  they 
seemed  extravagant  even  to  the  prefect  Titianus,  who 
was  accustomed  to  see  his  fellow-officials  in  Rome 
squander  millions. 

As  the  Emperor's  viceroy  it  behoved  him  to  give  his 
assent  to  all  that  was  planned  to  feast  his  sovereign's  eye 
and  ear.  On  the  whole,  he  left  the  citizens  of  the  great 
town  free  to  act  as  they  would;  but  he  had,  more  than 
once,  to  exert  a  decided  opposition  to  their  overdoing 
the  thing;  for  though  the  Emperor  might  be  able  to 
endure  a  vast  amount  of  pleasure,  what  the  Alexan- 
drians originally  proposed  to  provide  for  him  to  see  and 
hear  would  have  exhausted  the  most  indefatigable 
human  energy. 

That  which  gave  the  greatest  trouble,  not  merely  to 
him,  but  also  to  the  masters  of  the  revels  chosen  by 
the  municipality,  were  the  never-dormant  hostility  be- 


THE    EMPEROR.  83 

tween  the  heathen  and  the  Jewish  sections  of  the  in- 
habitants, and  the  processions,  since  no  division  chose 
to  come  last,  nor  would  any  number  be  satisfied  to  be 
only  the  third  or  the  fourth. 

It  was  from  a  meeting,  where  his  determined  inter- 
vention had  at  last  brought  all  these  preliminaries  to 
a  decision  beyond  appeal,  that  Titianus  proceeded  to 
the  Caesareum  to  pay  the  Empress  the  visit  which  she 
expected  of  him  daily.  He  was  glad  to  have  come  to 
some  conclusion,  at  any  rate  provisionally,  with  regard 
to  these  matters,  for  six  days  had  slipped  away  since 
the  works  had  been  begun  in  the  palace  of  Lochias, 
and  Hadrian's  arrival  was  nearing  rapidly. 

He  found  Sabina,  as  usual,  on  her  divan,  but  on 
this  occasion  the  Empress  was  sitting  upright  on  her 
cushions.  She  seemed  quite  to  have  got  over  the 
fatigues  of  the  sea-voyage,  and  in  token  that  she  felt 
better  she  had  applied  more  red  to  her  cheeks  and  lips 
than  three  days  ago,  and  because  she  was  to  receive  a 
visit  from  the  sculptors,  Papias  and  Aristeas,  she  had 
had  her  hair  arranged  as  it  was  worn  in  the  statue  of 
Venus  Victrix,  with  whose  attributes  she  had,  five  years 
previously — though  not,  it  is  true,  without  some  resist- 
ance— been  represented  in  marble.  When  a  copy  of 
this  statue  had  been  erected  in  Alexandria,  an  evil 
tongue  had  made  a  speech  which  was  often  repeated 
among  the  citizens. 

"  This  Aphrodite  is  triumphant  to  be  sure,  for  all 
who  see  her  make  haste  to  fly ;  she  should  be  called 
'  Cypris  the  scatterer.'  " 

Titianus  was  still  under  the  excitement  of  the  em- 
bittered squabbles  and  unpleasing  exhibitions  of  char- 
acter  at    which   he   had  just   been   present  when    he 

6  * 


84  THE    EMPEROR. 

entered  the  presence  of  the  Empress,  whom  he  found 
in  a  small  room  with  no  one  but  the  chamberlain  and  a 
few  ladies-in-waiting.  To  the  prefect's  respectful  in- 
quiries after  her  health,  she  shrugged  her  shoulders  and 
replied : 

"  How  should  I  be  ?  If  I  said  well  it  would  not  be 
true ;  if  I  said  ill,  I  should  be  surrounded  with  pitiful 
faces,  which  are  not  pleasant  to  look  at.  After  all  we 
must  endure  life.  Still,  the  innumerable  doors  in  these 
rooms  will  be  the  death  of  me  if  I  am  compelled  to  re- 
main here  long." 

Titianus  glanced  at  the  tAvo  doors  of  the  room  in 
which  the  Empress  was  sitting,  and  began  to  express 
his  regrets  at  their  bad  condition,  which  had  escaped 
his  notice;  but  Sabina  interrupted  him,  saying  : 

"  You  men  never  do  observe  what  hurts  us  women. 
Our  Verus  is  the  only  man  who  can  feel  and  under- 
stand— who  can  divine  it,  as  I  might  say.  There  are 
five  and  thirty  doors  in  my  rooms!  I  had  them 
counted — five  and  thirty!  If  they  were  not  old  and 
made  of  valuable  wood  I  should  really  believe  they 
had  been  made  as  a  practical  joke  on  me." 

"  Some  of  them  might  be  supplemented  with  cur- 
tains." 

"  Oh !  never  mind — a  few  miseries,  more  or  less  in 
my  life  do  not  matter.  Are  the  Alexandrians  ready  at 
last  with  their  preparations  ?" 

"  I  am  sure  I  hope  so,"  said  the  prefect  with  a  sigh. 
"  They  are  bent  on  giving  all  that  is  their  best ;  but  in 
the  endeavor  to  outvie  each  other  every  one  is  at  war 
with  his  neighbor,  and  I  still  feel  the  effects  of  the 
odious  wrangling  which  I  have  had  to  Hsten  to  for 
hours,  and  that  I  have  been  obliged  to  check  again. 


THE    EMPEROR.  85 

and   again   with   threats    of   '  I    shall   be   down   upon 
you.'  " 

"  Indeed,"  said  the  Empress  with  a  pinched  smile, 
as  if  she  had  heard  some  thing  that  pleased  her. 

"  Tell  me  something  about  your  meeting.  I  am 
bored  to  death,  for  Verus,  Balbilla  and  the  others  have 
asked  for  leave  of  absence  that  they  may  go  to  inspect 
the  work  doing  at  Lochias ;  I  am  accustomed  to  find 
that  people  would  rather  be  any  where  than  with  me. 
Can  I  wonder  then  that  my  presence  is  not  enough  to 
enable  a  friend  of  my  husband's  to  forget  a  little  annoy- 
ance— the  impression  left  by  some  slight  misunderstand- 
ing ?  But  my  fugitives  are  a  long  time  away ;  there 
must  be  a  great  deal  that  is  beautiful  to  be  seen  at 
Lochias." 

The  prefect  suppressed  his  annoyance  and. did  not 
expre<5S  his  anxiety  lest  the  architect  and  his  assistants 
should  be  disturbed,  but  began  in  the  tone  of  the  mes- 
senger in  a  tragedy : 

"  The  first  quarrel  was  fought  over  the  order  of  the 
procession." 

"  Sit  a  little  farther  off,"  said  Sabina  pressing  her 
jewelled  right-hand  on  her  ear,  as  if  she  were  suffering 
pain  in  it.  The  prefect  colored  slightly,  but  he  obeyed 
the  desire  of  Caesar's  wife  and  went  on  v.ath  his  stor}'-, 
pitching  his  voice  in  a  somewhat  lower  key  than  before : 

"  Well,  it  was  about  the  procession,  that  the  first 
iDteach  of  the  peace  arose." 

"  I  have  heard  that  once  already,"  replied  the  lady, 
yawning.     "  I  like  processions." 

"  But,"  said  the  prefect,  a  man  in  the  beginning  of 
the  sixties — and  he  spoke  with  some  irritation,  "  here  as 
in  Rome  and  every  where  else,  where  they  are  not  con- 


86  THE    EMPEROR. 

trolled  by  the  absolute  will  of  a  single  individual,  pro- 
cessions are  the  children  of  strife,  and  they  bring  forth 
strife,  even  when  they  are  planned  in  honor  of  a  festival 
of  Peace." 

"  It  seems  to  annoy  you  that  they  should  be  organ- 
ized in  honor  of  Hadrian?" 

"  You  are  in  jest;  it  is  precisely  because  I  care  par- 
ticularly that  they  should  be  carried  out  with  all  possi- 
ble splendor,  that  I  am  troubling  myself  about  them  in 
person,  even  as  to  details;  and  to  my  great  satisfaction 
I  have  been  able  even  to  subdue  the  most  obstinate; 
still  it  was  scarcely 'my  duty — " 

"I  fancied  that  you  not  only  served  the  state  but 
were  my  husband's  friend." 

"  I  am  proud  to  call  myself  so." 

"Aye — Hadrian  has  many,  very  many  friends  since 
he  has  worn  the  purple.  Have  you  got  over  your  ill- 
temper  Titianus  ?  You  must  have  become  very  touchy. 
Poor  Julia  has  an  irritable  husband!" 

"  She  is  less  to  be  pitied  than  you  think,"  said  Titi- 
anus with  dignity,  "for  my  official  duties  so  entirely 
claim  my  time  that  she  is  not  often  likely  to  know  v/hat 
disturbs  me.  If  I  have  forgotten  to  dissimulate  my 
vexation  before  you,  I  beg  you  to  pardon  me,  and 
to  attribute  it  to  my  zeal  in  securing  a  worthy  reception 
for  Hadrian." 

"As  if  I  had  scolded  you!  But  to  return  to  your 
wife — as  I  understand  she  shares  the  fate  I  endure.  We 
poor  women  have  nothing  to  expect  from  our  husbands, 
but  the  stale  leavings  that  remain  after  business  has  ab- 
sorbed the  rest !  But  your  stor)' — go  on  with  your  story." 

"The  worst  moments  I  had  at  all  were  given  me  by 
the  bad  feeling  of  the  Jews  towards  the  other  citizens." 


THE     EMPEROR.  87 

"I  hate  all  these  infamous  sects — ^Jews,  Christians 
or  whatever  they  are  called!  Do  they  dare  to  grudge 
their  money  for  the  reception  of  Caesar  ?" 

"On  the  contrary  Alabarchos,  their  wealthy  chief, 
has  offered  to  defray  all  the  cost  of  the  Naumachia  and 
his  co-religionist  Artemion." 

"Well,  take  their  money,  take  their  money." 

"The  Greek  citizens  feel  that  they  are  rich  enough 
to  pay  all  the  expenses,  which  will  amount  to  many 
millions  of  sesterces,  and  they  wish  to  exclude  the  Jews, 
if  possible,  from  all  the  processions  and  games." 

"They  are  perfectly  right." 

"But  allow  me  to  ask  you  whether  it  is. just  to  pro- 
hibit half  the  population  of  Alexandria  doing-  honor  to 
their  Emperor!" 

"Oh!  Hadrian  will,  with  pleasure,  dispense  with  the 
honor.  Our  conquering  heroes  have  thought  it  re- 
dounded to  their  glory  to  be  called  Africanus,  Ger- 
manicus  and  Dacianus,  but  Titus  refused  to  be  called 
Judaicus  when  he  had  destroyed  Jerusalem." 

"That  was  because  he  dreaded  the  remembrance  of 
the  rivers  of  blood  which  had  to  be  shed  in  order  to 
break  the  fearfully  obstinate  resistance  of  that  nation. 
The  besieged  had  to  be  conquered  limb  by  Hmb,  and 
finger  by  finger,  before  they  v/ould  make  up  their  minds 
to  yield." 

"Again  you  are  speaking  half  poetically,  or  have 
these  people  elected  you  as  their  advocate?" 

"  I  know  them  and  make  every  effort  to  secure  them 
justice,  just  as  much  as  any  other  citizen  of  this  country 
which  I  govern  in  the  name  of  the  Empire  and  of  Caesar. 
They  pay  taxes  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  Alexandrians ; 
nay  more,  for  there  are  many  wealthy  men  among  them 


88  THE    EMPEROR. 

who  are  honorably  prominent  in  trade,  in  professions, 
learning  and  art,  and  I  therefore  mete  to  them  the  same 
measure  as  to  the  other  inhabitants  of  this  city.  Their 
superstition  offends  me  no  more  than  that  of  the  Egyp- 
tians." 

"  But  it  really  is  above  all  measure.  At  Aelia  Capi- 
tolina  which  Hadrian  had  decorated  with  several  build- 
ings, they  refused  to  sacrifice  to  the  statues  of  Zeus  and 
Hera.  That  is  to  say  they  scorn  to  do  homage  to  me 
and  my  husband!" 

"They  are  forbidden  to  worship  any  other  divinity 
than  their  own  God.  Aelia  rose  up  on  the  very  soil 
where  their  ^ruined  Jerusalem  had  stood,  and  the  statues 
of  which  you  speak  stand  in  their  holy  places." 

"What  has  that  to  do  with  us?" 

"  You  know  that  even  Caius*  could  not  reduce  them 
by  placing  his  statue  in  the  Holy  of  Holies  of  their 
temple;  and  Petronius,  the  governor,  had  to  confess  that 
to  subdue  them  meant  to  exterminate  them." 

"  Then  let?  them  meet  with  the  fate  they  deserve,  let 
them  be  exterminated  !"  cried  Sabina. 

"Exterminated?"  asked  the  prefect.  "In  Alexan- 
dria they  constitute  nearly  half  of  the  citizens,  that  is  to 
say  several  hundred  thousand  of  obedient  subjects,  ex- 
terminated!" 

"So  many?"  asked  the  Empress  in  alarm."  But  that 
is  frightful.  Omnipotent  Jove!  supposing  that  mass 
were  to  revolt  against  us !  No  one  ever  told  me  of  this 
danger.  In  Cyrenaica,  and  at  Salamis  in  Cyprus,  they 
killed  their  fellow-citizens  by  thousands." 

"They  had  been  provoked  to  extremities  and  they- 
were  superior  to  their  oppressors  in  force." 

*  Caligula. 


THE    EMPEROR.  09 

"  And  in  their  own  land  one  revolt  after  another  is 
organized." 

"By  reason  of  the  sacrifices  of  which  we  were 
speaking." 

"Tinnius  Rufus  is  at  present  the  legate  in  Palestine. 
He  has  a  horribly  shrill  voice — but  he  looks  like  a  man 
who  will  stand  no  trifling,  and  will  know  how  to  quell 
the  venomous  brood." 

"  Possibly"  replied  Titianus.  "  But  I  fear  that  he  will 
never  attain  his  end  by  mere  severity;  and  if  he  should 
he  will  have  depopulated  his  province." 

"  There  are  already  too  many  men  in.  the  empire." 

"  But  never  enough  good  and  useful  citizens." 

"  Outrageous  contemners  of  the  gods  and  useless 
citizens !" 

"  Here  in  Alexandria,  Avhere  many  have  accom- 
modated themselves  to  Greek  habits  of  life  and  thought, 
and  where  all  have  adopted  the  Greek  tongue,  they  are 
undoubtedly  good  citizens,  and  wholly  devoted  to 
Caesar." 

"  Do  they  take  part  in  the  rejoicings  ?" 

"  Yes,  as  far  as  the  Greek  citizens  will  allow 
them." 

"  And  the  aiTangement  of  the  water-fight  ?" 

"  That  will  not  be  given  over  to  them,  but  Artemion 
will  be  permitted  to  supply  the  wild  beasts  for  the 
games  in  the  Amphitheatre." 

"  And  he  was  not  avaricious  about  it  ?" 

"  So  far  from  it  that  you  will  be  astonished.  The 
man  must  know  the  secret  of  Midas,  of  turning  stones 
into  gold." 

"  And  are  there  many  like  him  among  your  Jews  ?" 

'•  A  good  number." 


90  THE     KMPEROR. 

"  Then  I  wish  that  they  would  attempt  a  revolt,  for 
if  this  led  to  the  destruction  of  the  rich  ones,  their  gold, 
at  any  rate,  would  remain." 

"  Meanwhile  I  will  try  and  keep  them  alive,  as  being 
good  rate-payers." 

"  And  does  Hadrian  share  your  wish  ?" 

"  Without  doubt." 

"  Your  successor  may  perhaps  bring  him  to  another 
mind." 

"He  always  acts  according  to  his  own  judgment, 
and  for  the  present  I  am  in  office,"  answered  Titianus 
haughtily. 

"  And  may  the  God  of  the  Jews  long  preserve  you 
in  it !"  retorted  Sabina  scornfully. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Before  Titianus  could  open  his  lips  to  reply,  the 
principal  door  of  the  room  was  opened  cautiously  but 
widely,  and  the  praetor  Lucius  Aurelius  Verus,  his  wife 
Domitia  Lucilla,  the  young  Balbilla  and,  last  of  all, 
Annaeus  Florus,  the  historian,  entered.  All  four  were 
in  the  best  spirits,  and  immediately  after  the  prelimi- 
nary greetings,  were  eager  to  report  what  they  had 
seen  at  Lochias;  but  Sabina  waved  silence  with  her 
hand,  and  breathed  out : 

"  No,  no ;  not  at  present.  I  feel  quite  exhausted. 
This  long  waiting,  and  then — my  smelling-bottle,  Verus. 
Leukippe,  bring  me  a  cup  of  water  with  some  fruit- 
syrup — but  not  so  sweet  as  usual." 

The  Greek  slave-girl  hastened  to  execute  this  com- 


THE    EMPEROR.  9 1 

mand,  and  the  Empress,  as  she  waved  an  elegant  bottle^ 
carved  in  onyx,  under  her  nostrils,  went  on : 

"  It  is  a  little  eternity — is  it  not,  Titianus,  that  we 
have  been  discussing  state  affairs  ?  You  all  know  how 
frank  I  am  and  that  I  cannot  be  silent  when  I  meet 
with  perverse  opinions.  While  you  have  been  away  I 
have  had  much  to  hear  and  to  say ;  it  would  have  ex- 
hausted the  strength  of  the  strongest.  I  only  wonder 
you  don't  find  me  more  worn  out,  for  what  can  be  more 
excruciating  for  a  woman  than  to  be  obliged  to  enter 
the  lists  for  manly  decisiveness  against  a  man  who  is 
defending  a  perfectly  antagonistic  view  ?  Give  me  the 
water,  Leukippe." 

While  the  Empress  drank  the  syrup  with  tiny  sips, 
twitching  her  thin  lips  over  it,  Verus  went  up  to  the 
prefect  and  asked  him  in  an  under  tone : 

"  You  were  a  long  while  alone  with  Sabina,  cousin  ?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  Titianus,  and  he  set  his  teeth  as  he 
spoke  and  clenched  his  fist  so  hard  that  the  praetor 
could  not  misunderstand,  and  replied  in  a  low  voice : 

"  She  is  much  to  be  pitied,  and  particularly  just 
now  she  has  hours — " 

"  What  sort  of  hours  ?"  asked  Sabina  taking  the  cup 
from  her  lips. 

"  These,"  replied  Verus  quickly,  "  in  which  I  am 
not  obliged  to  occupy  myself  in  the  senate  or  with  the 
affairs  of  state.  To  whom  do  I  owe  them  but  to 
you  ?" 

With  these  words  he  approached  the  mature  beauty, 
and  taking  the  goblet  out  of  her  hand  with  affectionate 
subservience,  as  a  son  might  wait  on  his  honored  and 
suffering  mother,  he  gave  it  to  the  Greek  slave.  The 
Empress  bowed   her  thanks  again   and   again  to  the 


92  THE    EMPEROR. 

praetor  with  much  affability,  and  then  said,  with  a  sUght 
infusion  of  cheerfulness  in  her  tones  : 

"Well- — and  what  is  there  to  be  seen  at  Lochias?" 

"Wonderful  things,"  answered  Balbilla  readily  and 
clasping  her  little  hands.  "A  swarm  of  bees,  a  colony 
of  ants,  have  taken  possession  of  the  palace.  Hands 
black,  white  and  brown — more  than  we  could  count, 
are  busy  there  and  of  all  the  hundreds  of  workmen 
which  are  astir  there,  not  one  got  in  the  way  of  another, 
for  one  little  man  orders  and  manages  them  all,  just  as 
the  prescient  wisdom  of  the  gods  guides  the  stars  through 
the  '  gracious  and  merciful  night '  so  that  they  may 
never  push  or  run  against  each  other." 

"  I  must  put  in  a  word  on  behalf  of  Pontius  the 
architect,"  interposed  Verus.  "  He  is  a  man  of  at  least 
average  height." 

"Let  us  admit  it  to  satisfy  your  sense  of  justice," 
returned  Balbilla.  "  Let  us  admit  it — a  man  of  average 
height,  with  a  papyrus-roll  in  his  right-hand  and  a  stylus 
in  the  left,  controls  them.  Now,  does  my  way  of  stat- 
ing it  please  you  better  ?" 

"  It  can  never  displease  me,"  answered  the  praetor. 

"  Let  Balbilla  go  on  with  her  story,"  commanded 
the  Empress. 

"  What  we  saw  was  chaos,"  continued  the  girl,  "  still 
in  the  confusion  we  could  divine  the  elements  of  an 
orderly  creation  in  the  future ;  nay,  it  was  even  visible 
to  the  eye." 

"  And  not  un frequently  stumbled  over  with  the 
foot,"  laughed  the  praetor.  "  If  it  had  been  dark,  and 
if  the  laborers  had  been  wonns,  we  must  have  trodden 
half  of  them  to  death — they  swarmed  so  all  over  the 
pavement." 


IHK     iLiMPEKOK.  93 

"  What  were  they  doing  ?" 

"  Every  thing,"  answered  Balbilla  quickly.  "  Some 
were  polishing  damaged  pieces,  others  were  laying  new 
bits  of  mosaic  in  the  empty  places  from  which  it  had 
formerly  been  removed,  and  skilled  artists  were  painting 
colored  figures  on  smooth  surfaces  of  plaster.  Every 
pillar  and  every  statue  was  built  round  with  a  scaffold- 
ing reaching  to  the  ceiling  on  which  men  w^re  climbing 
and  crowding  each  other  just  as  the  sailors  climb  into 
the  enemy's  ships  in  the  Naumachia." 

The  girl's  pretty  cheeks  had  flushed  wi'th  her  eager 
reminiscence  of  what  she  had  seen,  and,  as  she  spoke, 
moving  her  hands  with  expressive  gestures,  the  tall 
structure  of  curls  which  crowned  her  small  head  shook 
from  side  to  side. 

"  Your  description  begins  to  be  quite  poetical,"  said 
the  Empress,  interrupting  her  young  companion.  "  Per- 
haps the  Muse  may  even  inspire  you  with  verse." 

"  All  the  Pierides,"  said  the  praetor,  "  are  repre- 
sented at  Lochias.  We  saw  eight  of  them,  but  the 
ninth,  that  patroness  of  the  arts,  who  protects  the  star- 
gazer,  the  lofty  Urania,  has  at  present,  in  place  of  a 
head — allow  me  to  leave  it  to  you  to  guess  divine 
Sabina  ?" 

"Well— what?" 

"A  wisp  of  straw." 

"Alas,"  sighed  the  Empress.  "What  do  you  say, 
Florus  ?  Are  there  not  among  your  learned  and  verse- 
spinning  associates  certain  men  who  resemble  this 
Urania?" 

"At  any  rate,"  replied  Florus,  "we  are  more  prudent 
than  the  goddess,  for  we  conceal  the  contents  of  our 
heads  in  the  hard  nut  of  the  skull,  and  under  a  more  or 


94  THE    EMPEROR. 

less  abundant  thatch  of  hair.  Urania  displays  her  straw 
openly." 

"That  almost  sounds,"  said  Balbilla  laughing  and 
pointing  to  her  abundant  locks,  "as  if  I  especially 
needed  to  conceal  what  is  covered  by  my  hair." 

"  Even  the  Lesbian  swan  was  called  the  fair-haired," 
replied  Florus. 

"And  you  are  ouz  Sappho,"  said  the  praetor's  wife, 
drawing  the  girl's  arm  to  her  bosom. 

"  Really !  and  will  you  not  write  in  verse  all  that  you 
have  seen  to-day?"  asked  the  Empress. 

Balbilla  looked  down  on  the  ground  a  minute  and 
then  said  brightly  :  "  It  might  inspire  me,  everything 
strange  that  I  meet  with  prompts  me  to  write  verse." 

"  But  follow  the  counsel  of  Apollonius  the  philologer," 
advised  Florus.  "You  are  the  Sappho  of  our  day,  and 
therefore  you  should  write  in  the  ancient  Aeolian  dia- 
lect and  not  Attic  Greek."  Verus  laughed,  and  the 
Empress,  who  never  was  strongly  moved  to  laughter, 
gave  a  short  sharp  giggle,  but  Balbilla  said  eagerly : 

"  Do  you  think  that  I  could  not  acquire  it  and  do 
so  ?  To-morrow  morning  I  will  begin  to  practise  my- 
self in  the  old  Aeolian  forms." 

"Let  it  alone,"  said  Domitia  Lucilla;  " your  simplest 
songs  are  always  the  prettiest." 

"  No  one  shall  laugh  at  me !"  declared  Balbilla  per- 
tinaciously. "  In  a  few  weeks  I  will  know  how  to  use 
the  Aeolian  dialect,  for  I  can  do  anything  I  am  deter- 
mined to  do — anything,  anything." 

"What  a  stubborn  little  head  we  have  under  our 
curls!"  exclaimed  the  Empress,  raising  a  graciously 
threatening  finger. 

"  And  what  powers  of  apprehension,"  added  Florus. 


THE     EMPEROR. 


95 


"  Her  master  in  language  and  metre  toki  me  his  best 
pupil  was  a  woman  of  noble  family  and  a  poetess  be- 
sides— Balbilla  in  short." 

The  girl  colored  at  the  words,  and  said  with  pleased 
excitement : 

"Are  you  flattering  me  or  did  Hephaestion  really  say 
that?" 

"Woe  is  me!"  cried  the  praet'9r,  "for  Hephaestion 
was  my  master  too,  and  I  am  one  of  the  masculine 
scholars  beaten  by  Balbilla.  But  it  is  no  news  to  me, 
for  the  Alexandrian  himself  told  me  the  same  thing  as 
Florus." 

"You  follow  Ovid  and  she  Sappho,"  said  Florus; 
"you  write  in  Latin  and  she  in  Greek.  Do  you  still 
always  carry  Ovid's  love-poems  about  with  you?" 

"  Always,"  replied  Verus,  "  as  Alexander  did  his 
Homer." 

"And  out  of  respect  for  his  master  your  husband 
endeavors,  by  the  grace  of  Venus,  to  live  like  him," 
added  Sabina,  addressing  herself  to  Domitia  Lucilla. 

The  tall  and  handsome  Roman  lady  only  shrugged 
her  shoulders  slightly  in  answer  to  this  not  very  kindly- 
meant  speech;  but  Verus  said,  while  he  picked  up 
Sabina's  silken  coverlet,  and  carefully  spread  it  over  her 
knees: 

"My  happiest  fortune  consists  in  this:  that  Venus 
Vidrix  favors  me.  But  we  are  not  yet  at  the  end  of 
our  story;  our  Lesbian  swan  met  at  Lochias  with  an- 
other rare  bird,  an  artist  in  statuary." 

"  How  long  have  the  sculptors  been  reckoned  among 
birds?"  asked  Sabina.  "At  the  utmost  can  they  be 
compared  to  woodpeckers." 

"  When  they  work  in  wood,"  laughed  Verus.     "  Our 


g6  THE    EMPEROR. 

artist,  however,  is  an  assistant  of  Papias,  and  handles 
noble  materials  in  the  grand  style.  On  this  occasion, 
however,  he  is  building  a  statue  out  of  a  very  queer 
mixture  of  materials." 

"Verus  may  very  well  call  our  new  acquaintance  a 
bird,"  interrupted  Balbilla,  "for  as  we  approached  the 
screen  behind  which  he  is  working  he  was  whistling  a 
tune  with  his  lips,  so  pute  and  cheery,  and  loud,  that  it 
rang  through  the  empty  hall  above  all  the  noise  of  the 
workmen.  A  nightingale  does  not  pipe  more  sweetly. 
We  stood  still  to  listen  till  the  merry  fellow,  who  had  no 
idea  that  we  were  by,  was  silent  again;  and  then  hear- 
ing the  architect's  voice,  he  called  to  him  over  the 
screen.  '  Now  we  must  clap  Urania's  head  on ;  I  saw  it 
clearly  in  my  mind  and  would  have  had  it  finished  with 
a  score  of  touches,  but  Papias  said  he  had  one  in  the 
workshop.  I  am  curious  to  see  what  sort  of  a  sugar- 
plum face,  turned  out  by  the  dozen,  he  will  stick  on 
my  torso — which  will  please  me,  at  any  rate,  for  a 
couple  of  days.  Find  me  a  good  model  for  the  bust  of 
the  Sappho  I  am  to  restore.  A  thousand  gadflies  are 
buzzing  in  my  brain — I  am  so  tremendously  excited! 
What  I  am  planning  now  will  come  to  something!' " 

Balbilla,  as  she  spoke  the  last  words,  tried  to  mimic 
a  man's  deep  voice,  and  seeing  the  Empress  smile  she 
went  on  eagerly. 

"  It  all  came  out  so  fresh,  from  a  heart  full  to  burst- 
ing of  happy  vigorous  creative  joy,  that  it  quite  fired 
me,  and  we  all  went  up  to  the  screen  and  begged  the 
sculptor  to  let  us  see  his  work." 

"And  you  found?"  asked  Sabina. 

"He  positively  refused  to  let  us  into  his  retreat,"  re- 
plied the  praetor ;  "  but  Balbilla  coaxed  the  permission 


THE    EMPEROR.  97 

out  of  him,  and  the  tall  young  fellow  seems  to  have 
really  learnt  something.  The  fall  of  the  drapery  that 
covers  the  Muse's  figure  is  perfectly  thought  out  with  ref- 
erence to  possibility — rich,  broadly  handled,  and  at  the 
same  time  of  surprising  delicacy.  Urania  has  drawn 
her  mantle  closely  round  her,  as  if  to  protect  herself  from 
the  keen  night-air  while  gazing  at  the  stars.  When  he 
has  finished  his  Muse,  he  is  to  repair  some  mutilated 
busts  of  women;  he  was  fixing  the  head  of  a  finished 
Berenice  to-day,  and  I  proposed  to  him  to  take  Bal- 
billa  as  the  model  for  his  Sappho." 

"  A  good  idea"  said  the  Empress.  "  If  the  bust  is 
successful  I  will  take  him  with  me  to  Rome." 

"I  will  sit  to  him  with  pleasure,"  said  the  girl.  "The 
bright  young  fellow  took  my  fancy." 

"And  Balbilla  his,"  added  the  praetor's  wife;  he 
gazed  at  her  as  a  marvel,  and  she  promised  him  that, 
with  your  permission,  she  would  place  her  face  at  his 
disposal  for  three  hours  to-morrow." 

"He  begins  with  the  head,"  interposed  Verus. 
"What  a  happy  man  is  an  artist  such  as  he!  He  may 
turn  about  her  head,  or  lay  her  peplum  in  folds  without 
reproof  or  repulse,  and  to-day  when  v^e  had  to  get  past 
bogs  of  plaster,  and  lakes  of  wet  paint,  she  scarcely 
picked  up  the  hem  of  her  dress,  and  never  once  allowed 
me — who  would  so  willingly  have  supported  her — to 
Lift  her  over  the  worst  places." 

Balbilla  reddened  and  said  angrily  : 

"  Really  Verus,  in  good  earnest,  I  will  not  allow  you 
to  speak  to  me  in  that  way,  so  now  you  know  it  once 
for  all;  I  have  so  little  liking  for  what  is  not  clean  that 
I  find  it  quite  easy  to  avoid  it  without  assistance." 

"You  are  too  severe,"  interrupted  the  Empress  with 

The  Emperor.  I.  7 


98  THE    EMPEROR. 

a  hideous  smile.  "  Do  not  you  think  Domitia  Lucilla, 
that  she  ought  to  allow  your  husband  to  be  of  service 
to  her?" 

"  If  the  Empress  thinks  it  right  and  fitting,"  replied 
the  lady  raising  her  shoulders,  and  with  an  expressive 
movement  of  her  hands.  Sabina  quite  took  her  mean- 
ing, and  suppressing  another  yawn  she  said  angrily: 

"  In  these  days  we  must  be  indulgent  toward  a  hus- 
band who  has  chosen  Ovid's  amatory  poems  as  his 
faithful  companion.     What  is  the  matter  Titianus  ?" 

While  Balbilla  had  been  relating  her  meeting  with 
the  sculptor  Pollux,  a  chamberlain  had  brought  in  to 
the  prefect  an  important  letter,  admitting  of  no  delay. 
The  state  official  had  withdrawn  to  the  farther  side  of 
the  room  with  it,  had  broken  the  strong  seal  and  had 
just  finished  reading  it,  when  the  Empress  asked  her 
question. 

Nothing  of  what  went  on  around  her  escaped 
Sabina's  little  eyes,  and  she  had  observed  that  while  the 
governor  was  considering  the  document  addressed  to 
him  he  had  moved  uneasily.  It  must  contain  some- 
thing of  importance. 

"An  urgent  letter,"  replied  Titianus,  "calls  me  home. 
I  must  take  my  leave,  and  I  hope  ere  long  to  be  able 
to  communicate  to  you  something  agreeable." 

"What  does  that  letter  contain?" 

"  Important  news  from  the  provinces,"  said  Titianus. 

"  May  I  inquire  what  ?" 

"  I  grieve  to  say  that  I  must  answer  in  the  negative. 
The  Emperor  expressly  desired  that  this  matter  should 
be  kept  secret.  Its  settlement  demands  the  promptest 
haste,  and  I  am  therefore  unfortimately  obliged  to  quit 
you  immediately." 


THE    EMPEROR.  99 

Sabina  returned  the  prefect's  parting  salutations  with 
icy  coldness  and  immediately  desired  to  be  conducted 
to  her  private  rooms  to  dress  herself  for  supper. 

Balbilla  escorted  her,  and  Florus  betook  himself  to 
the  "  Olympian  table,"  the  famous  eating-house  kept  by 
Lycortas,  of  whom  he  had  been  told  wonders  by  the 
epicures  at  Rome. 

When  Verus  was  alone  with  his  wife  he  went  up  in 
a  fnendly  manner  and  said : 

"May  I  drive  you  home  again?" 

Domitia  Lucilla  had  thrown  herself  on  a  couch,  and 
covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  and  she  made  no  reply. 

"  May  I  ?"  repeated  the  praetor.  As  his  wife  per- 
sisted in  her  silence,  he  went  nearer  to  her,  laid  his  hand 
on  her  slender  fingers  that  concealed  her  face,  and  said : 

"I  believe  you  are  angry  with  me!"  She  pushed 
away  his  hand,  with  a  slight  movement,  and  said: 

"  Leave  me." 

"Yes,  unfortunately  I  must  leave  you.  Business 
takes  me  into  the  city  and  I  will — " 

"You  will  let  the  young  Alexandrians,  with  whom 
you  revelled  through  the  night,  introduce  you  to  new 
fair  ones — I  know  it." 

"There  are  in  fact  women  here  of  incredible  charm," 
replied  Verus  quite  coolly.  "White,  brown,  copper-col- 
ored, black — and  all  delightful  in  their  way.  I  could 
never  be  tired  of  admiring  them." 

"  And  your  wife  ?"  asked  Lucilla,  facing  him,  sternly. 

"  My  wife  ?  yes,  my  fairest.  Wife  is  a  solemn  title 
of  honor  and  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  joys  of  life. 
How  could  I  mention  your  name  in  the  same  hour  with 
those  of  the  poor  children  who  help  me  to  beguile  an 
idle  hour." 


lOO  THE    EMPEROR. 

Domitia  Lucilla  was  used  to  such  phrases,  and  yet 
on  this  occasion  they  gave  her  a  pang.  But  she  con- 
cealed it,  and  crossing  her  arms  she  said  resolutely  and 
with  dignity: 

"  Go  your  way — through  life  with  your  Ovid,  and 
your  gods  of  love,  but  do  not  attempt  to  crush  inno- 
cence under  the  wheels  of  your  chariot." 

"  Balbilla  do  you  mean,"  asked  the  praetor  with  a 
loud  laugh.  "  She  knows  how  to  take  care  of  herself 
and  has  too  much  spirit  to  let  herself  get  entangled  in 
erotics.  The  little  son  of  Venus  has  nothing  to  say  to 
two  people  who  are  such  good  friends  as  she  and  I  are." 

"  May  I  believe  you  ?" 

"  My  word  for  it,  I  ask  nothing  of  her  but  a  kind 
word,"  cried  he,  frankly  offering  his  hand  to  his  wife. 
Lucilla  only  touched  it  lightly  with  her  fingers  and  said : 

"  Send  me  back  to  Rome.  I  have  an  unutterable 
longing  to  see  my  children,  particularly  the  boys." 

"  It  cannot  be,"  said  Verus.  "  Not  at  present ;  but 
in  a  few  weeks,  I  hope." 

"  Why  not  sooner  ?" 

"  Do  not  ask  me." 

"  A  mother  may  surely  wish  to  know  why  she  is 
separated  from  her  baby  in  the  cradle." 

"  That  cradle  is  at  present  in  your  mother's  house, 
and  she  is  taking  care  of  our  little  ones.  Have  patience, 
a  little  longer  for  that  which  I  am  striving  after,  for  you, 
and  for  me,  and  not  last,  for  our  son,  is  so  great,  so 
stupendously  great  and  difficult  that  it  might  well  out- 
weigh years  of  longing." 

Verus  spoke  the  last  words  in  a  low  tone,  but  with 
a  dignity  which  characterized  liim  only  in  decisive 
moments,  but  his  wife,  even  before  he  had  done  speak- 


THE    EMPEROR.  lOI 

ing,  clasped  his  right-hand  in  both  of  hers  and  said  in  a 
low  frightened  voice : 

"  You  aim  at  the  purple  ?" 

He  nodded  assent. 

*'  That  is  what  it  means  then !" 

"  What  ?" 

"  Sabina  and  you — " 

"  Not  on  that  account  only ;  she  is  hard  and  sharp 
to  others,  but  to  me  she  has  shown  nothing  but  kind- 
ness, ever  since  I  was  a  boy." 

"  She  hates  me." 

"  Patience,  Lucilla ;  patience !  The  day  is  coming 
when  the  daughter  of  Nigrinus,  the  wife  of  Caesar,  and 
the  former  Empress — but  I  will  not  finish.  I  am,  as 
you  know,  warmly  attached  to  Sabina,  and  sincerely 
wish  the  Emperor  a  long  life." 

"  And  he  will  adopt." 

"  Hush ! — he  is  thinking  of  it,  and  his  wife  wishes 
it." 

"  Is  it  likely  to  happen  soon  ?" 

"  Who  can  tell  at  this  moment  what  Caesar  may 
decide  on  in  the  very  nexti  hour.  But  probably  his 
decision  may  be  made  on  the  thirtieth  of  December." 

"  Your  birthday." 

"  He  asked  what  day  it  was,  and  he  is  certainly 
casting  my  horoscope,  for  the  night  when  my  mother 
bore  me — " 

"  The  stars  then  are  to  seal  our  fate  ?" 

"  Not  they  alone.  Hadrian  must  also  be  inclined 
to  read  them  in  my  favor." 

"  How  can  I  be  of  use  to  you  ?" 

"  Show  yourself  what  you  really  are  in  your  inter- 
course with  the  Emperor." 


I02  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  Thank  you  for  those  words — and  I  beg  you  do 
not  provoke  me  any  more.  If  it  might  yet  be  some- 
thing more  than  a  mere  post  of  honor  to  be  the  wife  of 
Verus,  I  would  not  ask  for  the  new  dignity  of  becoming 
wife  to  Caesar." 

"  I  will  not  go  into  the  town  to-day ;  I  will  stay 
with  you.     Now  are  you  happy  ?" 

"  Yes,  yes,"  cried  she,  and  she  raised  her  arm  to 
throw  it  round  her  husband's  neck,  but  he  held  her 
aside  and  whispered : 

"  That  will  do.  The  idyUic  is  out  of  place  in  the 
race  for  the  purple." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

TiTiANUS  had  ordered  his  charioteer  to  drive  at 
once  to  Lochias.  The  road  led  past  the  prefect's 
palace,  his  residence  on  the  Bruchiom,  and  he  paused 
there ;  for  the  letter  which  lay  hidden  in  the  folds  of 
his  toga,  contained  news,  which,  within  a  few  hours, 
might  put  him  under  the  necessity  of  not  returning 
home  till  the  following  morning.  Without  allowing 
himself  to  be  detained  by  the  officials,  subalterns,  or 
lictors,  who  were  awaiting  his  return  to  make  com- 
munications, or  to  receive  his  orders,  he  went  straight 
through  the  ante-room  and  the  large  public  rooms  for 
men,  to  find  his  wife  in  the  women's  apartments  which 
looked  upon  the  garden.  He  met  her  at  the  door  of 
her  room,  for  she  had  heard  his  step  approaching  and 
came  out  to  receive  him. 

"  I  was  not  mistaken,"  said  the  matron  with  sincere 


THE    EMPIiKOR.  103 

pleasure.  "  How  pleasant  that  you  have  been  released 
so  early  to-day.  I  did  not  expect  you  till  supper  was 
over." 

**  I  have  come  only  to  go  again,"  replied  Titianus, 
entering  his  wife's  room.  "  Have  some  bread  brought 
to  me  and  a  cup  of  mixed  wine ;  why — really !  here 
stands  all  I  want  ready  as  if  I  had  ordered  it.  You 
are  right,  I  was  with  Sabina  a  shorter  time  than  usual; 
but  she  exerted  herself  in  that  short  time  to  utter  as 
many  sour  words  as  if  we  had  been  talking  for  half  a 
day.  And  in  five  minutes  I  must  quit  you  again,  till 
when? — the  gods  alone  know  when  I  shall  return.  It  is 
hard  even  to  speak  the  words,  but  all  our  trouble  and 
care,  and  all  poor  Pontius'  zeal  and  pains-taking  labor 
are  in  vain." 

As  he  spoke  the  prefect  threw  himself  on  a  couch ; 
his  wife  handed  him  the  refreshment  he  had  asked  for, 
and  said,  as  she  passed  her  hand  over  his  grey  hair : 

"  Poor  man !  Has  Hadrian  then  determined  after 
all  to  inhabit  the  Caesareum  ?" 

"  No.  Leave  us,  Syra  —  you  shall  see  directly. 
Please  read  me  Caesar's  letter  once  more.     Here  it  is." 

Julia  unfolded  the  papyrus,  which  was  of  elegant 
quality,  and  began : 

"  Hadrian  to  his  friend  Titianus,  the  Governor  of 
Egypt.  The  deepest  secrecy — Hadrian  greets  Titianus, 
as  he  has  so  often  done  for  years  at  the  beginning  of 
disagreeable  business  letters,  and  only  with  half  his 
heart.  But  to-morrow  he  hopes  to  greet  the  dear 
friend  of  his  youth,  his  prudent  vicegerent,  not  merely 
with  his  whole  soul,  but  with  hand  and  tongue.  And 
now  to  be  more  explicit,  as  follows :  I  come  to-morrow 
morning,  the  fifteenth  of  December,  towards  evening, 


104  THE    EMPEROR. 

to  Alexandria,  with  none  but  Antinous,  the  slave 
Mastor,  and  my  private  secretary,  Phlegon.  We  land 
at  Lochias,  in  the  little  harbor,  and  you  will  know  my 
ship  by  a  large  silver  star  at  the  prow.  If  night  should 
fall  before  I  arrive  there,  three  red  lanterns  at  the  end 
of  the  mast  shall  inform  you  of  the  friend  that  is  ap- 
proaching. I  have  sent  home  the  learned  and  witty 
men  whom  you  sent  to  meet  me,  in  order  to  detain  me, 
and  gain  time  for  the  restoration  of  the  old  nest  in 
which  I  had  a  fancy  to  roost  with  Minerva's  birds — 
w^hich  have  not,  I  hope,  all  been  driven  out  of  it — in 
order  that  Sabina  and  her  following  may  not  lack  enter- 
tainment, nor  the  famous  gentlemen  themselves  be  un- 
necessarily disturbed  in  their  labors.  I  need  them  not. 
If  perchance  it  was  not  you  who  sent  them,  I  ask  your 
pardon.  An  error  in  this  matter  would  certainly  involve 
some  humiliation,  for  it  is  easier  to  explain  what  has 
happened  than  to  foresee  what  is  to  come.  Or  is  the 
reverse  the  truth  ?  I  will  indemnify  the  learned  men 
for  their  useless  journey  by  disputing  this  question  with 
them  and  their  associates  in  the  Museum.  The  rapid 
movement  to  which  the  philologer  was  prompted  on 
my  account  will  prolong  his  existence ;  he  bristles  with 
learning  at  the  tip  of  every  hair,  and  he  sits  still  more 
than  is  good  for  him. 

"  We  shall  arrive  in  modest  disguise  and  will  sleep  at 
Lochias ;  you  know  that  I  have  rested  more  than  once 
on  the  bare  earth,  and,  if  need  be,  can  sleep  as  well  on 
a  mat  as  on  a  couch.  My  pillow  follows  at  my  heels — 
my  big  dog,  which  you  know ;  and  some  little  room, 
where  I  can  meditate  undisturbed  on  my  designs  for 
next  year,  can  no  doubt  be  found. 

"  I  entreat  you  to  keep  my  secret  strictly.     To  none 


THE    EMPEROR. 


105 


— man  nor  woman — and  I  beseech  you  as  urgently  as 
friend  or  Caesar  ever  besought  a  favor — let  the  least 
suspicion  of  my  arrival  be  known.  Nor  must  the 
smallest  preparation  betray  whom  it  is  you  receive.  I 
cannot  command  so  dear  a  friend  as  Titianus,  but  I 
appeal  to  his  heart  to  carry  out  my  wishes. 

"  I  rejoice  to  see  you  again;  what  delight  I  shall  find 
in  the  whirl  of  confusion  that  I  hope  to  find  at  Lochias. 
You  shall  take  me  to  see  the  artists,  who  are,  no  doubt, 
swarming  in  the  old  castle,  as  the  architect  Claudius 
Venator  from  Rome,  who  is  to  assist  Pontius  with  his 
advice.  But  this  Pontius,  who  carried  out  such  fine 
works  for  Herodes  Atticus,  the  rich  Sophist,  met  me  at 
his  house,  and  will  certainly  recognize  me.  Tell  him, 
therefore,  what  I  propose  doing.  He  is  a  serious  and 
trustworthy  man,  not  a  chatterbox  or  scatter-brained 
simpleton  who  loses  his  head.  Thus  you  may  take  him 
into  the  secret,  but  not  till  my  vessel  is  in  sight.  May 
all  be  well  with  you." 

*'  Well,  what  do  you  say  to  that  ?"  asked  Titianus, 
taking  the  letter  from  his  wife's  hand.  "  Is  it  not  more 
than  vexatious — our  work  was  going  on  so  splendidly." 

"  But,"  said  Julia  thoughtfully  and  with  a  meaning 
smile.  "  Perhaps  it  might  not  have  been  finished  in 
time.  As  matters  now  stand  it  need  not  be  complete, 
and  Hadrian  will  see  the  good  intention  all  the  same. 
1  am  glad  about  the  letter,  for  it  takes  a  great  responsi- 
bility off  your  otherwise  overloaded  shoulders." 

"  You  always  see  the  right  side,"  cried  the  prefect. 
"  It  is  well  that  I  came  home,  for  I  can  await  Caesar 
with  a  much  lighter  heart.  Let  me  lock  up  the  letter, 
and  then  farewell.  This  parting  is  for  some  hours  from 
you,  and  from  all  peace  for  many  days." 


Io6  THE     F.MPEROR. 

Titianus  gave  her  his  hand.  She  held  it  firmly  and 
said: 

"  Before  you  go  I  must  confess  to  you  that  I  am 
very  proud." 

"  You  have  every  right  to  be." 

"  But  you  have  not  said  a  word  to  rne  about  keep- 
ing silence." 

"  Because  you  have  kept  other  tests — still,  to  be  sure^ 
you  are  a  woman,  and  a  very  handsome  one  besides.'* 

"  An  old  grandmother,  with  grey  hair  !" 

"  And  still  more  upright  and  more  charming  than  a 
thousand  of  the  most  admired  younger  beauties." 

"  You  are  trying  to  convert  my  pride  into  vanity,  in 
my  old  age." 

"  No,  no !  I  was  only  looking  at  you  with  an  ex- 
amining eye,  as  our  talk  led  me  to  do,  and  I  remem- 
bered that  Sabina  had  lamented  that  handsome  Julia 
was  not  looking  well.  But  where  is  there  another 
woman  of  your  age  with  such  a  carriage,  such  un- 
wrinkled  features,  so  clear  a  brow,  such  deep  kind  eyes, 
such  beautifully-polished  arms — " 

"  Be  quiet,"  exclaimed  his  wife.  "  You  make  me 
blush." 

"  And  may  I  not  be  proud  that  a  grandmother,  who 
is  a  Roman,  as  my  wife  is,  can  find  it  so  easy  to  blush  ? 
You  are  quite  different  from  other  women." 

"  Because  you  are.  different  from  other  men." 

"  You  are  a  flatterer ;  since  all  our  children  have  lefl 
us,  it  is  as  if  we  were  newly  married  again." 

"  Ah  !  the  apple  of  discord  is  removed." 

"  It  is  always  over  what  he  loves  best  that  man  is 
most  prompt  to  be  jealous.  But  now,  once  more,  fare- 
weU." 


THE     EMPEROR.  107- 

Titianus  kissed  his  wife's  forehead  and  hurried  tow- 
ards the  door;  Julia  called  him  back  and  said: 

"  One  thing  at  any  rate  we  can  do  for  Caesar.  1 
send  food  every  day  down  to  the  architect  at  Lochias, 
and  to-day  there  shall  be  three  times  the  quantity." 

"Good;  do  so." 

"  Farewell,  then." 

"  And  we  shall  meet  again,  when  it  shall  please  the 
gods  and  the  Emperor." 


When  the  prefect  reached  the  appointed  spot,  no 
vessel  with  a  silver  star  was  to  be  seen. 

The  sun  went  down  and  no  ship  with  three  red 
lanterns  was  visible. 

The  harbor-master,  into  whose  house  Titianuo  went, 
was  told  that  he  expected  a  great  architect  from  Rome, 
who  was  to  assist  Pontius  with  his  counsel  in  the  works 
at  Lochias,  and  he  thought  it  quite  intelligible  that  the 
governor  should  do  a  strange  artist  the  honor  of  coming 
to  meet  him ;  for  the  whole  city  was  well  aware  of  the 
incredible  haste  and  the  lavish  outlay  of  means  that 
were  being  given  to  the  restoration  of  the  ancient 
palace  of  the  Ptolemies  as  a  residence  for  the  Emperor. 

While  he  was  waiting,  Titianus  remembered  the 
young  sculptor  Pollux,  whose  acquaintance  he  had 
made,  and  his  mother  in  the  pretty  little  gate-house. 
Well  disposed  towards  theni  as  he  felt,  he  sent  at  once 
to  old  Doris,  desiring  her  not  to  retire  to  rest  early  that 
evening,  since  he,  the  prefect,  v/ould  be  going  late  to 
Lochias. 

"  Tell  her,  too,  as  from  yourself  and  not  from  me," 
Titianus  instructed  the  messenger,  "that  I  may  very 


Io8  THE    EMPEROR. 

likely  look  in  upon  her.  She  may  light  up  her  little 
room  and  keep  it  in  order." 

No  one  at  Lochias  had  the  slightest  suspicion  of 
the  honor  which  awaited  the  old  palace. 

After  Verus  had  quitted  it  with  his  wife  and  Bal- 
billa,  and  when  he  had  again  been  at  work  for  about 
an  hour  the  sculptor  Pollux  came  out  of  his  nook, 
stretching  himself,  and  called  out  to  Pontius,  who  was 
standing  on  a  scaffold : 

"  I  must  either  rest  or  begin  upon  something  new. 
One  cures  me  of  fatigue  as  much  as  the  other.  Do 
you  find  it  so  ?" 

"  Yes,  just  as  you  do,"  replied  the  architect,  as  he 
continued  to  direct  the  v/ork  of  the  slave-masons,  who 
were  fixing  a  new  Corinthian,  capital  in  the  place  of  an 
old  one  which  had  been  broken. 

"  Do  not  disturb  yourself,"  Pollux  cried  up  to  him. 
"  I  only  request  you  to  tell  my  master  Papias  when  he 
comes  here  with  Gabinius,  the  dealer  in  antiquities,  that 
he  will  find  me  at  the  rotunda  that  you  inspected  with 
me  yesterday.  I  am  going  to  put  the  head  on  to  the 
Berenice;  my  apprentice  must  long  since  have  com- 
pleted his  preparations ;  but  the  rascal  came  into  the 
world  with  two  left-hands,  and  as  he  squints  with  one 
eye  everything  that  is  straight  looks  crooked  to  him, 
and — according  to  the  law  of  optics — the  oblique  looks 
straight.  At  any  rate,  he  drove  the  peg  which  is  to 
support  the  new  head  askew  into  the  neck,  and  as  no 
historian  has  recorded  that  Berenice  ever  had  her  neck 
on  one  side,  like  the  old  color-grinder  there,  I  must 
see  to  its  being  straight  myself  In  about  half  an  hour, 
as  I  calculate,  the  worthy  Queen  will  no  longer  be  one 
of  the  headless  women." 


THE    EMPEROR.  IO9 

"  Where  did  you  get  the  new  head  ?"  asked  Pontius. 

"  From  the  secret  archives  of  my  memory,"  repHed 
Pollux.     "  Have  you  seen  it  ?" 

"  Yes." 

"  And  do  you  like  it  ?" 

"  Very  much." 

"  Then  it  is  worthy  to  live,"  sang  the  sculptor,  and, 
as  he  quitted  the  hall,  he  waved  his  left-hand  to  the 
architect,  and  with  his  right-hand  stuck  a  pink,  which 
he  had  picked  in  the  morning,  behind  his  ear. 

At  the  rotunda  his  pupil  had  done  his  business 
better  than  his  master  could  have  expected,  but  Pollux 
was  by  no  means  satisfied  with  his  own  arrangements. 
His  work,  like  several  others  standing  on  the  same  side 
of  the  platform,  turned  its  back  on  the  steward's 
balcony,  and  the  only  reason  why  he  had  parted  with 
the  portrait  of  Selene's  mother,  of  which  he  was  so 
fond^  was  that  his  playfellow  might  gaze  at  the  face 
whenever  she  chose.  He  found,  however,  to  his  satis- 
faction, that  the  busts  were  held  in  their  places  on  their 
tall  pedestals  only  by  their  own  weight,  and  he  then  re- 
solved to  alter  the  historical  order  of  the  portrait-heads 
by  changing  their  places,  and  to  let  the  famous  Cleo- 
patra turn  her  back  upon  the  palace,  so  that  his  favorite 
bust  might  look  towards  it. 

In  order  to  carry  out  this  purpose  then  and  there, 
he  called  some  slaves  up  to  help  him  in  the  alteration. 
This  gave  rise,  more  than  once,  to  a  warning  cry,  and 
the  loud  talking  and  ordering  on  this  spot,  for  so  many 
years  left  solitary  and  silent,  attracted  an  inquirer,  who, 
soon  after  the  apprentice  had  begun  his  work,  had  shown 
herself  on  the  balcony,  but  who  had  soon  retreated 
after  casting  a  glance  at  the  dirty  lad,  splashed  from 


no  THE    EMPEROR. 

head  to  foot  with  plaster.  This  time,  however,  she  re- 
mained to  watch,  following  every  movement  of  Pollux 
as  he  directed  the  slaves;  though,  all  the  time  and 
whatever  he  was  doing,  he  turned  his  back  upon  her. 

At  last  the  portrait-head  had  found  its  right  position, 
shrouded  still  in  a  cloth  to  preserve  it  from  the  marks 
of  workmen's  hands.  With  a  deep  breath  the  artist 
turned  full  on  the  steward's  house,  and  immediately  a 
clear  merry  voice  called  out : 

"  What,  tall  Pollux  !  It  really  is  tall  Pollux ;  how 
glad  I  am !" 

With  these  words  the  girl  on  the  balcony  loudly 
clapped  her  hands ;  and  as  the  sculptor  hailed  her  in 
return,  and  shouted : 

"  And  you  are  little  Arsinoe,  eternal  gods !  What 
the  little  thing  has  come  to  !"  She  stood  on  tip-toe  to 
seem  taller,  nodded  at  him  pleasantly,  and  laughed  out: 

"  I  have  not  done  growing  yet ;  but  as  for  you,  you 
look  quite  dignified  with  the  beard  on  your  chin,  and 
your  eagle'5  nose.  Selene  did  not  tell  me  till  to-day 
that  you  were  living  down  there  with  the  others." 

The  artist's  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  girl,  as  if  spell- 
bound. There  are  poetic  natures  in  which  the  imagina- 
tion immediately  transmutes  every  new  thing  that  strikes 
the  eyes  or  the  intelligence,  into  a  romance,  or  rapidly 
embodies  it  in  verse ;  and  Pollux,  like  many  of  his  call- 
ing, could  never  set  his  eyes  on  a  fine  human  form  and 
face,  without  instantly  associating  them  with  his  art. 

"  A  Galatea — a  Galatea  without  an  equal !'''  thought 
he,  as  he  stood  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  Arsinoe's  face 
and  figure.  **  Just  as  if  she  had  this  instant  risen  from 
the  sea — that  form  is  just  as  fresh,  and  joyous,  and 
healthy;   and  her  little  curls  wave  back  from  her  brow 


THE    EMPEROR.  Ill 

as  if  they  were  still-jioating  on  the  water;  and  now  as 
she  stoops,  how  full  and  supple  is  every  movement.  It 
is  like  a  daughter  of  Nereus  following  the  line  of  the 
waves  as  they  rise  into  crests  and  dip  again  into  watery 
valleys.  She  is  like  Selene  and  her  mother  in  the  shape 
of  her  head  and  the  Greek  cut  of  her  face,  but  the  elder 
sister  is  like  the  statue  of  Prometheus  before  it  had  a 
soul,  and  Arsinoe  is  like  the  Master's  work  after  the 
celestial  fire  coursed  through  her  veins." 

The  artist  had  felt  and  thought  all  this  out  in  a  few 
seconds,  but  the  girl  found  her  speechless  admirer's 
silence  too  long,  and  exclaimed  impatiently : 

"  You  have  not  yet  offered  me  any  proper  greeting. 
What  are  you  doing  down  there  ?" 

"  Look  here,"  he  replied,  lifting  the  cloth  from  the 
portrait,  which  was  a  striking  likeness. 

Arsinoe  leaned  far  over  the  parapet  of  the  balcony, 
shaded  her  eyes  with  her  hand  and  was  silent  for  more 
than  a  minute.  Then  she  suddenly  cried  out  loudly, 
and  exclaiming : 

"Mother — it  is  my  mother!"  She  flew  into  the 
room  behind  her. 

"  Now  she  will  call  her  father  and  destroy  all  poor 
Selene's  comfort,"  thought  Pollux,  as  he  pushed  the 
heavy  marble  bust  on  which  his  gypsum  head  was  fixed, 
into  its  right  place. 

"  Well,  let  him  come.  We  are  the  masters  here 
now,  and  Keraunus  dare  not  touch  the  Emperor's 
property."  He  crossed  his  arms  and  stood  gazing  at 
the  bust,  muttering  to  himself: 

"  Patchwork — miserable  patchwork.  We  are  cob- 
bling up  a  robe  for  the  Emperor  out  of  mere  rags ;  we 
are  upholsterers  and  not  artists.     If  it  were  only  for 


112  THE    EMPEROK. 

Hadrian,  and  not  for  Diotima  and  her  children,  not 
another  finger  would  I  stir  in  the  place." 

The  path  fi-om  the  steward's  residence  led  through 
some  passages  and  up  a  few  steps  to  the  rotunda,  on 
which  the  sculptor  Avas  standing,  but  in  little  more  than 
a  minute  from  Arsinoe's  disappearance  from  the  balcony- 
she  was  by  his  side.  With  a  heightened  color  she 
pushed  the  sculptor  away  from  his  work  and  put  herself 
in  the  piace  where  he  had  been  standing,  to  be  able  to 
gaze  at  her  leisure  at  the  beloved  features.  Then  she 
exclaimed  again : 

"  It  is  mother — mother !"  and  the  bright  tears  ran 
over  her  cheeks;  without  restraint  from  the  presence  of 
the  artist,  or  the  laborers  and  slaves  whom  she  had 
flown  past  on  her  way,  and  who  stared  at  her  with  as 
much  alarm  as  if  she  were  possessed. 

Pollux  did  not  disturb  her.  His  heart  was  softened 
as  he  watched  the  tears  running  down  the  cheeks  of 
this  light-hearted  child,  and  he  could  not  help  reflecting 
that  goodness  was  indeed  well  rewarded  when  it  could 
win  such  tender  and  enduring  love  as  was  cherished 
for  the  poor  dead  mother  on  the  pedestal  before  him. 

After  looking  for  some  time  at  the  sculptor's  work 
Arsinoe  grew  calmer,  and  turning  to   Pollux  she  asked : 

"  Did  you  make  it  ?" 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  looking  down. 

"  And  entirely  from  memory  ?" 

"  To  be  sure." 

"  Do  you  know  wjfeat  ?" 

"Well."  • 

"  This  shows  that  the  Sibyl  at  the  festival  of  Adonis 
was  right  when  she  sang  in  the  Jalemus  that  the  gods 
did  half  the  work  of  the  artist." 


THE    EMPEROR.  II3 

**  Arsinoe !"  cried  Pollux,  for  her  words  made  him 
feel  as  if  a  hot  spring  were  seething  in  his  heart,  and  he 
gratefully  seized  her  hand ;  but  she  drew  it  away,  for 
her  sister  Selene  had  come  out  on  the  balcony  and  was 
calling  her. 

It  was  for  his  elder  playfellow  and  not  for  Arsinoe 
that  Pollux  had  set  his  work  in  this  place,  but,  just  now, 
her  gaze  fell  like  a  disturbing  chill  on  his  excited  mood. 

"  There  stands  your  mother's  portrait,"  he  called  up 
to  the  balcony  in  an  explanatory  tone,  pointing  to  the 
bust. 

"  I  see  it,"  she  replied  coldly.  "  I  will  look  at  it 
presently  more  closely.  Come  up  Arsinoe,  father  wants 
to  speak  to  you;" 

Again  Pollux  stood  alone. 

As  Selene  withdrew  into  the  room,  she  gently  shook 
her  pale  head,  and  said  to  herself: 

"  *  It  was  to  be  for  me,'  Pollux  said ;  something  for 
me,  for  once — and  even  this  pleasure  is  spoilt." 


CHAPTER    IX. 

The  palace-steward,  to  whom  Selene  had  called  up 
his  younger  daughter,  had  just  returned  from  the  meet- 
ing of  the  citizens;  and  his  old  black  slave,  who  always 
accompanied  him  when  he  went  out,  took  the  saffron- 
colored  pallium  from  his  shoulders,  and  from  his  head 
the  golden  circlet,  with  which  he  loved  to  crown  his 
curled  hair  when  he  quitted  the  house.  Keraunus  still 
looked  heated,  his  eyes  seemed  more  prominent  than 
usual  and  large  drops  of  sweat  stood  upon  his  brow, 

Th*  Emperor.  I.  8 


114  THE    EMPEROR. 

when  his  daughter  entered  the  room  where  he  was. 
He  absently  responded  to  Arsinoe's  affectionate  greet- 
ing with  a  few  unmeaning  words,  and  before  making 
the  important  communication  he  had  to  disclose  to  his 
daugliters,  he  walked  up  and  down  before  them  for 
some  time,  puffing  out  his  fat  cheeks  and  crossing  his 
arms.  Selene  was  alarmed,  and  Arsinoe  had  long  been 
out  of  patience,  when  at  last  he  began : 

"  Have  you  heard  of  the  festivals  which  are  to  be 
held  in  Caesar's  honor  ?" 

Selene  nodded  and  her  sister  exclaimed : 

"  Of  course  we  have  !  Have  you  secured  places 
for  us  on  the  seats  kept  for  the  town  council  ?" 

"  Do  not  interrupt  me,"  the  steward  crossly  ordered 
his  daughter.  "  There  is  no  question  of  staring  at  them. 
All  the  citizens  are  required  to  allow  their  daughters 
to  take  part  in  the  grand  things  that  are  to  be  carried 
out,  and  we  all  were  asked  how  many  girls  we  had." 

"  And  how  are  we  to  take  part  in  the  show  ?"  cried 
Arsinoe,  joyfully  clapping  her  hands. 

"  I  wanted  to  withdraw  before  the  summons  was 
proclaimed,  but  Tryphon,  the  shipwright,  who  has  a 
workshop  down  by  the  King's  Harbor,  held  me  back 
and  called  out  to  the  assembly  that  his  sons  said  that  I 
had  two  pretty  young  daughters.  Pray  how  did  he 
know  that  ?" 

With  these  words  the  steward  lifted  his  grey  brows 
and  his  face  grew  red  to  the  roots  of  his  hair.  Selene 
shrugged  her  shoulders,  but  Arsinoe  said  : 

"  Tryphon's  shipyard  lies  just  below  and  we  often 
pass  it ;  but  we  do  not  know  him  or  his  sons.  Have 
you  ever  seen  them  Selene  ?  At  any  rate  it  is  polite  of 
him  to  speak  of  us  as  pretty." 


THE    EMPEROR.  II5 

"  Nobody  need  trouble  themselves  about  your  ap- 
pearance unless  they  want  to  ask  my  permission  to 
marry  you,"  replied  the  steward  with  a  growl. 

"  And  what  did  you  say  to  Tryphon  ?"  asked 
Selene. 

"  I  did  as  I  was  obliged.  Your  father  is  steward  of 
a  palace  which  at  present  belongs  to  Rome  and  the 
Emperor ;  hence  I  must  receive  Hadrian  as  a  guest  in 
this,  the  dwelling  of  my  fathers,  and  therefore  I,  less 
than  any  other  citizen — cannot  withhold  my  share  in 
the  honors  which  the  city  council  has  decreed  shall  be 
paid  to  him." 

"  Then  we  really  may,"  said  Arsinoe,  and  she  went 
up  to  her  father  to  give  him  a  coaxing  pat.  But 
Keraunus  was  not  in  the  humor  to  accept  caresses ;  he 
pushed  her  aside  with  an  angry  "  Leave  me  alone," 
and  then  went  on : 

"  If  Hadrian  were  to  ask  me  '  Where  are  your 
daughters  on  the  occasion  of  the  festival  ?'  and  if  I  had 
to  reply,  '  They  were  not  among  the  daughters  of  the 
noble  citizens,'  it  would  be  an  insult  to  Caesar,  to 
whom  in  fact  I  feel  very  well  disposed.  All  this  I  had 
to  consider,  and  I  gave  your  names  and  promised  to 
send  you  to  the  great  Theatre  to  the  assembly  of  young 
girls.  There  you  will  be  met  by  the  noblest  matrons 
and  maidens  of  the  city,  and  the  first  painters  and 
sculptors  will  decide  to  what  part  of  the  performance 
your  air  and  appearance  are  best  fitted." 

"  But,  father,"  cried  Selene,  "  we  cannot  show  our- 
selves in  such  an  assembly  in  our  common  garments, 
and  where  are  we  to  find  the  money  to  buy  new 
ones  ?" 

"  We  can  quite  well  show  ourselves  by  any  other 


Il6  THE    EMPEROR. 

girls,  in  clean,  white  woollen  dresses,  prettily  smartened 
with  fresh  ribbons,"  declared  Arsinoe,  interposing  be- 
tween her  father  and  her  sister. 

"  It  is  not  that  whicli  troubles  me,"  replied  the 
steward ;  "  it  is  the  costumes,  the  costumes !  It  is  only 
the  daughters  of  the  poorer  citizens  who  will  be  paid 
by  the  council,  and  it  would  be  a  disgrace  to  be  num- 
bered among  the  poor — you  understand  me,  children." 

"  I  will  not  take  part  in  the  procession,"  said  Selene 
resolutely,  but  Arsinoe  interrupted  her. 

"  It  is  inconvenient  and  horrible  to  be  poor,  but  it 
certainly  is  no  disgrace  !  The  most  powerful  Romans 
of  ancient  times,  regarded  it  as  honorable  to  die  poor. 
Our  Macedonian  descent  remains  to  us  even  if  the 
state  should  pay  for  our  costumes." 

"  Silence,"  cried  the  steward.  "  This  is  not  the 
first  time  that  I  have  detected  this  low  vein  of  feeling 
in  you.  Even  the  noble  may  submit  to  the  misfortunes 
entailed  by  poverty,  but  the  advantages  it  brings  with 
it  he  can  never  enjoy  unless  he  resigns  himself  to — 
being  so  no  longer." 

It  had  cost  the  steward  much  trouble  to  give  due 
expression  to  this  idea,  which  he  did  not  recollect  to 
have  heard  from  another,  which  seemed  new  to  him, 
and  which  nevertheless  fully  represented  what  he  felt; 
and  he  slowly  sank,  with  all  the  signs  of  exhaustion, 
into  a  couch  which  formed  a  divan  round  a  side  recess 
in  the  spacious  sitting-room. 

In  this  room  Cleopatra  might  have  held  with  An- 
tony those  banquets  of  which  the  unequalled  elegance 
and  refinement  had  been  enhanced  by  every  grace  of 
art  and  wit.  On  the  very  spot  where  Keraunus  now 
reclined  the  dining-couch  of  the  famous  lovers  had 


THE    EMPEROR.  II7 

probably  stood ;  for,  though  the  whole  hall  had  a  care- 
fully-laid pavement,  in  this  recess  there  was  a  mosaic  of 
stones  of  various  colors  of  such  beauty  and  delicacy  of 
finish  that  Keraunus  had  always  forbidden  his  children 
to  step  upon  it.  This,  it  is  true,  Avas  less  out  of  regard 
for  the  fine  work  of  art  than  because  his  father  had 
always  prohibited  his  doing  so,  and  his  father  again 
before  him.  The  picture  represented  the  marriage  of 
Peleus  and  Thetis,  and  the  divan  only  covered  the 
outer  border  of  the  picture,  which  was  decorated  with 
graceful  little  Cupids. 

Keraunus  desired  his  daughter  to  fetch  him  a  cup 
of  wine,  but  she  mixed  the  juice  of  the  grape  with  a 
judicious  measure  of  water.  After  he  had  half  drunk 
the  diluted  contents  of  the  goblet,  with  many  faces  of 
disgust,  he  said : 

"  Would  you  like  to  know  what  each  of  your  dresses 
will  cost  if  it  is  to  be  in  no  respect  inferior  to  those  of 
the  others  ?" 

"  Well,"  said  Arsinoe  anxiously. 

"  About  seven  hundred  drachmae ;  *  Philinus,  the 
tailor,  who  is  working  for  the  theatre,  tells  me  it  will  be 
impossible  to  do  anything  well  for  less." 

"  And  you  are  really  thinking  of  such  insane  ex- 
travagance," cried  Selene.  "  We  have  no  money,  and 
I  should  like  to  know  the  man  who  would  lend  us  any 
more." 

The  steward's  younger  daughter  looked  doubtfully 
at  the  tips  of  her  fingers  and  was  silent,  but  her  eyes 
swimming  in  tears  betrayed  what  she  felt.  Keraunus 
was  rejoiced  at  the  silent  consent  which  Arsinoe  seemed 
to  accord  to  his  desire  to  let  her  take  part  in  the  dis- 

•  Rather  less  than  ^^24,  or  115  dollars. 


Il8  THE    EMPEROR. 

play  at  whatever  cost.  He  forgot  that  he  had  just 
reproached  her  for  her  low  sentiments,  and  said : 

"  The  little  one  always  feels  what  is  right.  As  for 
you,  Selene,  I  beg.  you  to  reflect  seriously  that  I  am 
your  father,  and  that  I  forbid  you  to  use  this  admonish- 
ing tone  to  me;  you  have  accustomed  yourself  to  it 
with  the  children  and  to  them  you  may  continue  to 
use  it.  Fourteen  hundred  drachmae  certainly,  at  the 
first  thought  of  it,  seems  a  very  large  sum,  but  if  the 
material  and  the  trimming  required  are  bought  with 
judgment,  after  the  festival  we  may  very  likely  sell  it 
back  to  the  man  with  profit." 

"  With  profit !"  cried  Selene  bitterly,  "  not  half  is  to 
be  got  for  old  things — not  a  quarter!  And  even  if  you 
turn  me  out  of  the  house — I  will  not  help  to  drag  us 
into  deeper  wretchedness  j  I  will  take  no  part  in  the 
performances." 

The  steward  did  not  redden  this  time,  he  was  not 
even  violent;  on  the  contrary,  he  simply  raised  his 
head  and  compared  his  daughters  as  they  stood — not 
without  an  infusion  of  satisfaction.  He  was  accustomed 
to  love  his  daughters  in  his  own  way,  Selene  as  the 
useful  one,  and  Arsinoe  as  the  beauty ;  and  as  on  this 
occasion  all  he  cared  for  was  to  satisfy  his  vanity,  and 
as  this  end  could  be  attained  through  his  younger 
daughter  alone,  he  said  : 

"  Stay  with  the  children  then,  for  all  I  care.  We 
will  excuse  you  on  the  score  of  weak  health,  and  cer- 
tainly, child,  you  do  look  extremely  pale.  I  would  far 
rather  find  the  means  for  the  little  one  only." 

Two  sweet  dimples  again  began  to  show  in  Arsinoe's 
cheeks,  but  Selene's  lips  were  as  white  as  her  bloodless 
cheeks  as  she  exclaimed : 


THE    EMPEROR.  II9 

"  But,  father — father !  neither  the  baker  nor  the 
butcher  has  had  a  coin  paid  him  for  the  last  two 
months,  and  you  will  squander  seven  hundred  drach- 
mae !" 

"Squander!"  cried  Keraunus  indignantly,  but  still 
in  a  tone  of  disgust  rather  than  anger.  "  I  have  already 
forbidden  you  to  speak  to  me  in  that  way.  The  richest 
of  our  noble  youths  will  take  part  in  the  games;  Arsinoe 
is  handsome  and  perhaps  one  of  them  may  choose  her 
for  his  wife.  And  do  you  call  it  squandering,  when  a 
father  does  his  utmost  to  find  a  suitable  husband  for  his 
daughter.  After  all,  what  do  you  know  of  what  I  may 
possess  ?" 

"  We  have  nothing,  so  I  cannot  know  of  it,"  cried 
the  girl  beside  herself 

"  Indeed !"  drawled  Keraunus  with  an  embarrassed 
smile.  "  And  is  that  nothing  which  lies  in  the  cup- 
board there,  and  stands  on  the  cornice  shelf  ?  For 
your  sakes  I  will  part  with  these — the  onyx  fibula,  the 
rings,  the  golden  chaplet,  and  the  girdle  of  course." 

"  They  are  of  mere  silver-gilt !"  Selene  interrupted, 
ruthlessly.  "  All  my  grandfather's  real  gold  you  parted 
with  when  my  mother  died." 

"  She  had  to  be  cremated  and  buried  as  was  due 
to  our  rank,"  answered  Keraunus;  "but  I  will  not 
think  now  of  those  melancholy  days." 

"  Nay,  do  think  of  them,  father." 

"  Silence !  All  that  belongs  to  my  own  adornment 
of  course  I  cannot  do  without,  for  I  must  be  prepared 
to  meet  Caesar  in  a  dress  befitting  my  rank ;  but  the 
little  bronze  Eros  there  must  be  worth  something, 
Plutarch's  ivory  cup,  which  is  beautifully  carved,  and 
above  all,  that  picture ;  its  former  possessor  was  con- 


3  20  THE    EMPEROR. 

vinced  that  it  had  been  painted  by  Apelles  himself  here 
in  Alexandria.  You  shall  know  at  once  what  these 
little  things  are  worth,  for,  as  the  gods  vouchsafed,  on 
my  way  home  I  met,  here  in  the  palace,  Gabinius  of 
Nicaea,  the  dealer  in  such  objects.  He  promised  me 
that  when  he  had  done  his  business  with  the  architect 
he  would  come  to  me  to  inspect  my  treasures,  and  to 
pay  money  down  for  anything  that  might  suit  him.  If 
my  Apelles  pleases  him,  he  will  give  ten  talents  for  that 
alone,  and  if  he  buys  it  for  only  the  half,  or  even  the 
tenth  of  that  sum,  I  will  make  you  enjoy  yourself  for 
once,  Selene." 

"  We  will  see,"  said  the  pale  girl,  shrugging  her 
shoulders,  and  her  sister  exclaimed : 

"  Show  him  the  sword  too,  that  you  always  de- 
clared belonged  to  Caesar,  and  if  he  gives  you  a  good 
sum  for  it  you  will  buy  me  a  gold  bracelet." 

"  And  Selene  shall  have  one,  too.  But  I  have  the 
very  slenderest  hopes  of  the  sword,  for  a  connoisseur 
would  hardly  pronounce  it  genuine.  But  I  have  other 
things,  many  others.  Hark !  that  is  Gabinius,  no 
doubt.  Quick,  Selene,  throw  the  chiton  round  me 
again.  My  chaplet,  Arsinoe.  A  well-to-do  man  al- 
ways gets  a  higher  price  than  a  poor  one.  I  have 
ordered  the  slave  to  await  him  in  the  ante-room;  it  is 
always  done  in  the  best  houses," 

The  curiosity  dealer  was  a  small,  lean  man,  who, 
by  prudence  and  good  luck,  had  raised  himself  to  be 
one  of  the  most  esteemed  of  his  class  and  a  rich  man. 
Having  matured  his  knowledge  by  industry  and  ex- 
perience, he  knew  better  than  any  man  how  to  dis- 
tinguish what  was  good  from  what  was  indifferent  or 
bad,  what  was  genuine  from  what  was  spurious.     No 


THE    EMPEROR,  121 

one  had  a  keener  eye ;  but  he  was  abrupt  in  his  dealings 
with  those  from  whom  he  had  nothing  to  gain.  In  cir- 
cumstances where  there  was  profit  in  view,  he  could,  to 
be  sure,  be  polite  even  to  subservience  and  show  inex- 
haustible patience.  He  commanded  himself  so  far  as 
to  listen  with  an  air  of  conviction  to  the  steward  as  he 
told  him  in  a  condescending  tone  that  he  was  tired  of 
his  little  possessions,  that  he  could  just  as  well  keep 
them  as  part  with  them ;  he  merely  wanted  to  show 
them  to  him  as  a  connoisseur  and  would  only  part  with 
them  if  a  good  round  sum  were  offered  for  what  was  in 
fact  idle  capital.  One  piece  after  another  passed 
through  the  dealer's  slender  fingers,  or  was  placed  be- 
fore him  that  he  might  contemplate  it;  but  the  man 
spoke  not,  and  only  shook  his  head  as  he  examined 
every  fresh  object.  And  when  Keraunus  told  him 
whence  this  or  that  specimen  of  his  treasures  had  been 
obtained,  he  only  murmured — "  Indeed  "  or  "  Really," 
"  Do  you  think  so  ?"  After  the  last  piece  of  property 
had  passed  through  his  hands,  the  steward  asked : 

"  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  them  ?" 

The  beginning  of  the  sentence  was  spoken  con- 
fidently, the  end  almost  in  fear,  for  the  dealer  only 
smiled  and  shook  his  head  again  before  he  said : 

"  There  are  some  genuine  little  things  among  them, 
but  nothing  worth  speaking  of  I  advise  you  to  keep 
them,  because  you  have  an  affection  for  them,  while  I 
could  get  very  little  by  them." 

Keraunus  avoided  looking  towards  Selene,  whose 
large  eyes,  full  of  dread,  had  been  fixed  on  the  dealer's 
lips ;  but  Arsinoe,  who  had  followed  his  movements 
with  no  less  attention,  was  less  easily  discouraged,  and 
pointing  to  her  father's  Apelles,  she  said : 


122  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  And  that  picture,  is  that  worth  nothing  ?" 

"  It  grieves  me  that  I  cannot  tell  so  fair  a  damsel 
that  it  is  inestimably  valuable,"  said  the  dealer,  stroking 
his  gray  whiskers.  "  But  we  have  here  only  a  very 
feeble  copy.  The  original  is  in  the  Villa  belonging  to 
Phinius  on  the  Lake  of  Larius,  and  which  he  calls 
Cothurnus.     I  have  no  use  whatever  for  this  piece." 

"  And  this  carved  cup  ?"  asked  Keraunus.  "  It 
came  from  among  the  possessions  of  Plutarch,  as  I  can 
prove,  and  it  is  said  to  have  been  the  gift  of  the 
Emperor  Trajan." 

"  It  is  the  prettiest  thing  in  your  collection,"  replied 
Gabinius;  "  but  it  is  amply  paid  for  with  four  hundred 
drachmae." 

"  And  this  cylinder  from  Cyprus,  with  the  elegant 
incised  work  ?"  The  steward  was  about  to  take  up  the 
polished  crystal,  but  his  hand  was  trembling  with  agita- 
tion and  pushed  instead  of  lifting  it  from  the  table.  It 
rolled  away  on  the  floor  and  across  the  smooth  mosaic 
picture  as  far  as  the  couches.  Keraunus  was  about  to 
stoop  to  pick  it  up,  but  his  daughters  both  held  him 
back,  and  Selene  cried  out : 

"Father,  you  must  not;  the  physician  strictly  for- 
bade it." 

While  the  steward  pushed  the  girls  away  grumbling, 
the  dealer  had  gone  down  on  his  knees  to  pick  up  the 
cylinder,  but  it  seemed  to  cost  the  slightly-built  man 
much  less  effort  to  stoop  than  to  get  up  again,  for  some 
minutes  had  elapsed  before  he  once  more  stood  on  his 
feet,  in  front  of  Keraunus.  His  countenance  had  put 
on  an  expression  of  eager  attention,  and  he  once  more 
took  up  the  painting  attributed  to  Apelles,  sat  down 
with  it  on  the  couch,  and  appeared  wholly  absorbed  in 


THE    EMPEROR.  1 25 

the  contemplation  of  the  picture,  which  hid  his  face 
from  the  bystanders. 

But  his  eye  was  not  resting  on  the  work  before  him, 
but  on  the  marriage-scene  at  his  feet,  in  which  he  de- 
tected each  moment  some  fresh  and  unique  beauty. 
As  the  dealer  sat  there  for  some  minutes  with  the  little 
picture  on  his  knee,  the  steward's  face  brightened, 
Selene  drew  a  deep  breath,  and  Arsinoe  went  up  to  her 
father  to  cling  to  his  arm  and  whisper  in  his  ear ; 

"  Do  not  let  him  have  the  Apelles  cheap — remember 
my  bracelet." 

Gabinius  now  rose,  glanced  at  the  various  objects 
lying  on  the  table  and  said  in  a  much  shorter  and  more 
business-like  tone  than  before : 

"  For  all  these  things  I  can  give  you — wait  a 
minute — twenty — seventy — four  hundred — four  hundred 
and  fifty — I  can  give  you  six  hundred  and  fifty  drach- 
mae, not  a  sesterce  more  !" 

"  You  are  joking,"  cried  Keraunus. 

"  Not  a  sesterce  more,"  answered  the  other  coldly. 

"  I  do  not  want  to  make  anything,  but  you  as  a 
business  man  will  understand  that  I  do  not  wish  to  buy 
with  a  certain  prospect  of  loss.  As  regards  the 
Apelles — " 

"  Well  ?" 

"  It  may  be  of  some  value  to  me,  but  only  under 
certain  conditions.  The  case  is  quite  different  as  re- 
gards buying  pictures.  Your  two  young  damsels  know 
of  course  that  my  line  of  business  leads  me  to  admire 
and  value  all  that  is  beautiful,  but  still  I  must  request 
you  to  leave  me  alone  with  your  father  for  a  little  while. 
1  want  to  speak  with  him  about  this  curious  painting." 

Keraunus  signed  to  his  daughters,  who  immediately 


124  THE    EMPEROR. 

left  the  room.  Before  the  door  was  closed  upon  them 
the  dealer  called  after  them  : 

"  It  is  already  growing  dark,  might  I  ask  you  to 
send  me  as  bright  a  light  as  possible  by  one  of  your 
slaves." 

*'  What  about  the  picture  ?"  asked  Keraunus. 

"  Till  the  light  is  brought  let  us  talk  of  something 
else,"  said  Gabinius. 

"  Then  take  a  seat  on  the  couch,"  said  Keraunus. 
"  You  will  be  doing  me  a  pleasure  and  perhaps  yourself 
as  well." 

As  soon  as  the  two  men  were  seated  on  the  divan, 
Gabinius  began : 

"  Those  little  things  which  we  have  collected  with 
particular  liking,  we  do  not  readily  part  with — that  I 
know  by  long  experience.  Many  a  man  who  has  come 
into  some  property  after  he  has  sold  all  his  little  antiq- 
uities has  offered  me  ten  times  the  price  I  have  paid 
him  to  get  them  back  again,  generally  in  vain,  unfor- 
tunately. Now,  what  is  true  of  others  is  true  of  you, 
and  if  you  had  not  been  in  immediate  need  of  money 
you  would  hardly  have  offered  me  these  things." 

*'  I  must  entreat  you,"  began  the  steward,  but  the 
dealer  interrupted  him,  saying : 

"  Even  the  richest  are  sometimes  in  want  of  ready 
money;  no  one  knows  that  better  than  I,  for  I — I 
must  confess — have  large  means  at  my  command.  Just 
at  present  it  would  be  particularly  easy  for  me  to  free 
you  from  all  embarrassment." 

"  There  stands  my  Apelles,"  exclaimed  the  steward. 
"  It  is  yours  if  you  make  a  bid  that  suits  me." 

"  The  light — here  comes  the  light !"  exclaimed  Ga- 
binius, taking  from  the  slave's  hand  the  three-branched 


THE    EMPEROR.  125 

lamp  which  Selene  had  hastily  supplied  with  a  fresh 
Avick,  and  he  placed  it,  while  he  murmured  to  Keraunus, 
"  By  your  leave,"  down  on  the  centre  of  the  mosaic. 
The  steward  looked  at  the  man  on  his  left  hand,  with 
puzzled  inquiry,  but  Gabinius  heeded  him  not  but  went 
down  on  his  knees  again,  felt  the  mosaic  over  with  his 
hand,  and  devoured  the  picture  of  the  marriage  of 
Peleus  with  his  eyes. 

"  Have  you  lost  anything?"  asked  Keraunus. 

"  No — nothing  whatever.  There  in  the  corner — 
now  I  am  satisfied.  Shall  I  place  the  lamp  there,  on 
the  table?     So — and  now  to  return  to  business." 

"  I  beg  to  do  so,  but  I  may  as  well  begin  by  telling 
you  that  in  my  case  it  is  a  question  not  of  drachmae 
but  of  Attic  talents."* 

"  That  is  a  matter  of  course,  and  I  will  offer  you 
five ;  that  is  to  say  a  sum  for  which  you  could  buy  a 
handsome  roomy  house." 

Once  more  the  blood  mounted  to  the  steward's 
head ;  for  a  few  minutes  he  could  not  utter  a  word,  for 
his  heart  thumped  violently;  but  presendy  he  so  far 
controlled  himself  as  to  be  able  to  answer.  This  time, 
at  any  rate,  he  was  determined  to  seize  Fortune  by  the 
forelock  and  not  to  be  taken  advantage  of, ''so  he  said : 

"  Five  talents  will  not  do ;  bid  higher." 

"  Then  let  us  say  six." 

"  If  you  say  double  that  we  are  agreed." 

"  I  cannot  put  it  beyond  ten  talents;  why,  for  that 
sum  you  might  build  a  small  palace." 

"  I  stand  out  for  twelve." 

"  Well,  be  it  so,  but  not  a  sesterce  more." 

"  I  cannot  bear  to  part  with  my  splendid  work  of 
*  The  Attic  talent  was  worth  about  ^^200,  or  1,000  dollars. 


126  THE    EMPEROR. 

art,"  sighed  Keraunus.  '*  But  I  will  take  your  offer, 
and  give  you  my  Apelles," 

"  It  is  not  that  picture  I  am  dealing  for,"  replied 
Gabinius.  "  It  is  of  trifling  value,  and  you  may  con- 
tinue to  enjoy  the  possession  of  it.  It  is  another  work 
of  art  in  this  room  that  I  wish  to  have,  and  which  has 
hitherto  seemed  to  you  scarcely  worth  notice.  I  have 
discovered  it,  and  orte  of  my  rich  customers  has  asked 
me  to  find  him  just  such  a  thing." 

"  I  do  not  know  what  it  is." 

"  Does  everything  in  this  room  belong  to  you  ?" 

"  Whom  else  should  it  belong  to  ?" 

"  Then  you  may  dispose  of  it  as  you  please  ?" 

"  Undoubtedly." 

"  Very  well,  then — the  twelve  Attic  talents  which  I 
offer  you  are  to  be  paid  for  the  picture  that  is  under  our 
feet." 

"The  mosaic!  that?     It  belongs  to  the  palace." 

"  It  belongs  to  your  residence,  and  that,  I  heard  you 
say  yourself,  has  been  inhabited  for  more  than  a  century 
by  your  forefathers.  I  know  the  law ;  it  pronounces 
that  everything  which  has  remained  in  undisputed  pos- 
session in  one  family,  for  a  hundred  years,  becomes  their 
property." 

"  This  mosaic  belongs  to  the  palace." 

"  I  assert  the  contrary.  It  is  an  integral  portion  of 
your  family  dwelling,  and  you  may  freely  dispose  of  it." 

"  It  belongs  to  the  palace." 

"  No,  and  again  no ;  you  are  the  owner.  To-mor- 
row morning  early  you  shall  receive  twelve  Attic  talents 
in  gold,  and,  with  the  help  of  my  son,  later  in  the  day  I 
will  take  up  the  picture,  pack  it,  and  when  it  grows 
dark,  carry  it  away.     Procure  a  carpet  to  cover  the 


THK     KMPKROK.  1 27 

empty  place  for  the  present.  As  to  the  secrecy  of  the 
transaction — I  must  of  course  insist  on  it  as  strongly — 
and  more  so — than  yourself." 

"  The  mosaic  belongs  to  the  palace,"  cried  the  stew- 
ard, this  time  in  a  louder  voice,  "  Do  you  hear  ?  it  be- 
longs to  the  palace,  and  whoever  dares  touch  it,  I  will 
break  his  bones." 

As  he  spoke  Keraunus  stood  up,  his  huge  chest 
panting,  his  cheeks  and  forehead  dyed  purple,  and  his 
fist,  which  he  held  in  the  dealer's  face,  was  trembling. 

Gabinius  drew  back  startled,  and  said : 

*'  Then  you  will  not  have  the  twelve  talents  !" 

"  I  will — I  will !"  gasped  Keraunus,  "  I  will  show 
you  how  I  beat  those  who  take  me  for  a  rogue.  Out 
of  my  sight,  villain,  and  let  me  hear  not  another  word 
about  the  picture,  and  the  robbery  in  the  dark,  or  I  will 
send  the  prefect's  lictors  after  you  and  have  you  thrown 
into  irons,  you  rascally  thief!" 

Gabinius  hurried  to  the  door,  but  he  there  turned 
round  once  more  to  the  groaning  and  gasping  colos- 
sus, and  cried  out,  as  he  stood  on  the  threshold : 

"  Keep  your  rubbish !  we  shall  have  more  to  say  to 
each  other  yet." 

When  Selene  and  Arsinoe  returned  to  the  sitting- 
room  they  found  their  father  breathing  hard  and  sitting 
on  the  couch,  with  his  head  drooping  forward.  Much 
alarmed,  they  went  close  up  to  him,  but  he  exclaimed 
•  quite  coherently : 

"Water — a  drink  of  water! — the  thief! — the  scoun- 
drel !" 

Though  hardly  pressed,  it  had  not  cost  him  a  strug- 
gle or  a  pang  to  refuse  what  would  have  placed  him 
and  his  children  in  a  position  of  ease ;  and  yet  he  would 


128  THE    EMPEROR. 

not  have  hesitated  to  borrow  it,  aye,  or  twice  the  sum, 
from  rich  or  poor,  though  he  knew  full  certainly  that  he 
would  never  be  in  a  position  to  restore  it.  Nor  was  he 
even  proud  of  what  he  had  done ;  it  seemed  to  him 
quite  natural  in  a  Macedonian  noble.  It  was  to  him 
altogether  out  of  the  pale  of  possibility  that  he  should 
entertain  the  dealer's  proposition  for  an  instant. 

But  where  was  he  to  get  the  money  for  Ansinoe's 
outfit  ?  how  could  he  keep  the  promise  given  at  the 
meeting  ? 

He  lay  meditating  on  the  divan  for  an  hour;  then  he 
took  a  wax  tablet  out  of  a  chest  and  began  to  write  a 
letter  on  it  to  the  prefect.  He  intended  to  offer  the 
precious  mosaic  picture  which  had  been  discovered  in 
his  abode,  to  Titianus  for  the  Emperor,  but  he  did  not 
bring  his  composition  to  an  end,  for  he  became  involved 
in  high-flown  phrases.  At  last  he  doubted  whether  it 
would  do  at  all,  flung  the  unfinished  letter  back  into  the 
chest,  and  disposed  himself  to  sleep. 


CHAPTER   X. 

While  anxiety  and  trouble  were  brooding  over  the 
steward's  dwelling,  while  dismay  and  disappointment 
were  clouding  the  souls  of  its  inhabitants,  the  hall  of 
the  Muses  was  merry  with  feasting  and  laughter. 

Julia,  the  prefect's  wife,  had  supplied  the  architect 
at  Lochias  with  a  carefully-prepared  meal,  sufficient  to 
fill  six  hungry  maws,  and  Pontius'  slave — who  had  re- 
ceived it  on  its  arrival  and  had  unpacked  it  dish  after 
dish,  and  set  them  out  on  the  humblest  possible  table — 


THE    EMPEROR.  129 

had  then  hastened  to  fetch  his  master  to  inspect  all 
these  marvels  of  the  cook's  art.  The  architect  shook 
his  head  as  he  contemplated  the  superabundant  blessing, 
and  muttered  to  himself: 

"  Titianus  must  take  me  for  a  crocodile,  or  rather 
for  two  crocodiles,"  and  he  went  to  the  sculptor's  little 
tabernacle,  where  Papias  the  master  was  also,  to  invite 
the  two  men  to  share  his  supper. 

Besides  them  he  asked  two  painters,  and  the  chief 
mosaic  worker  of  the  city,  who  all  day  long  had  been 
busied  in  restoring  the  old  and  faded  pictures  on  the 
ceilings  and  pavements,  and  under  the  influence  ot 
good  wine  and  cheerful  chat  they  soon  emptied  the 
dishes  and  bowls  and  trenchers.  A  man  who  for 
several  hours  has  been  using  his  hands  or  his  mind,  or 
both  together,  waxes  hungry,  and  all  the  artists  whom 
Pontius  had  brought  together  at  Lochias  had  now  been 
working  for  several  days  almost  to  the  verge  of  exhaus- 
tion. P^ach  had  done  his  best,  in  the  first  place,  no 
doubt,  to  give  satisfaction  to  Pontius,  whom  all  es- 
teemed, and  to  himself;  but  also  in  the  hope  of  giving 
proof  of  his  powers  to  the  Emperor  and  of  showing 
him  how  things  could  be  done  in  Alexandria.  When 
the  dishes  had  been  removed  and  the  replete  feasters 
had  washed  and  dried  their  hands,  they  filled  their  cups 
out  of  a  jar  of  mixed  wine,  of  which  the  dimensions 
answered  worthily  to  the  meal  they  had  eaten.  One  of 
the  painters  then  proposed  that  they  should  hold  a 
regular  drinking-bout,  and  elect  Papias,  who  was  as  well 
known  as  a  good  table  orator  as  he  was  as  an  artist,  to  be 
the  leader  of  the  feast.  However,  the  master  declared 
that  he  could  not  accept  the  honor,  for  that  it  was  due 
to  the  worthiest  of  their  company ;  to  the  man  namely, 

Tht  Emferor.  I.  .  9 


130  THE     EMPEROR. 

who,  only  a  few  days  since,  had  entered  this  empty 
palace  and  like  a  second  Deucalion  had  raised  up 
illustrious  artists,  such  as  he  then  saw  around  him  in 
great  numbers,  and  skilled  workmen  by  hundreds,  not 
out  of  plastic  stone  but  out  of  nothing.  And  then — 
while  declaring  that  he  understood  the  use  of  the 
hammer  and  chisel  better  than  that  of  the  tongue,  and 
that  he  had  never  studied  the  art  of  making  speeches — 
he  expressed  his  wish  that  Pontius  would  lead  the  revel, 
in  the  most  approved  form. 

But  he  was  not  allowed  to  get  to  the  end  of  this 
evidence  of  his  skill,  for  Euphorion  the  door-keeper  of 
the  palace,  Euphorion  the  father  of  Pollux,  ran  hastily 
into  the  hall  of  the  Muses  with  a  letter  in  his  hand 
which  he  gave  to  the  architect. 

"  To  be  read  without  an  instant's  delay,"  he  added, 
bowing  with  theatrical  dignity  to  the  assembled  artists. 
"  One  of  the  prefect's  lictors  brought  this  letter,  which, 
if  my  wishes  be  granted,  brings  nothing  that  is  unwel- 
come. Hold  your  noise  you  little  blackguards  or  I 
will  be  the  death  of  you." 

These  words,  which  so  far  as  the  tone  was  con- 
cerned, formed  a  somewhat  inharmonious  termination 
to  a  speech  intended  for  the  ears  of  great  artists,  were 
addressed  to  his  wife's  four-footed  Graces  who  had 
followed  him  against  his  wish,  and  were  leaping  round 
the  table  barking  for  the  slender  remains  of  the  con- 
sumed food. 

Pontius  was  fond  of  animals  and  had  made  friends 
with  the  old  woman's  pets,  so,  as  he  opened  the  pre- 
fect's letter,  he  said  :  ^ 

"  I  invite  the  three  little  guests  to  the  remains  of 
our  feast.      Give  them  anything  that  is  fit  for  them, 


THE   empp:ror.  131 

Euphorion,  and  whatever  seems  to  you  most  suitable 
to  your  own  stomach  you  may  put  mto  it." 

While  the  architect  first  rapidly  glanced  through  the 
letter  and  then  read  it  carefully,  the  singer  had  collected 
a  variety  of  good  morsels  for  his  wife's  favorites  on  a 
plate,  and  finally  carried  the  last  remaining  pasty,  with 
the  dish  on  which  it  reposed,  to  the  vicinity  of  his  own 
hooked  nose. 

"  For  men  or  for  dogs  ?"  he  asked  his  son,  as  he 
pointed  to  it  with  a  rigid  finger. 

"  For  the  gods !"  repUed  Pollux.  "  Take  it  to 
mother;  she  will  like  to  eat  ambrosia  for  once." 

"  A  jolly  evening  to  you !"  cried  the  singer,  bowing 
to  the  artists  who  were  emptying  their  cups,  and  he 
quitted  the  hall  with  his  pasty  and  his  dogs.  Before 
he  had  fairly  left  the  hall  with  his  long  strides,  Papias, 
whose  speech  had  been  interrupted,  once  more  raised 
his  wine-cup  and  began  again  : 

"  Our  Deucalion,  our  more  than  DeucaHon — " 

"  Pardon  me,"  interrupted  Pontius.  *'  If  I  once 
more  stop  your  discourse  which  began  so  promisingly ; 
this  letter  contains  important  news  and  our  revels  must 
be  over  for  the  night.  We  must  postpone  our  sym- 
posium afid  your  drinking-speech." 

"  It  was  not  a  drinking-speech,  for  if  ever  there  was 
a  moderate  man — "  Papias  began.  But  Pontius  stopped 
him  again,  saying: 

"  Titianus  writes  me  word  that  he  proposes  coming 
to  Lochias  this  evening.  He  may  arrive  at  any 
moment;  and  not  alone,  hut  with  my  fellow-artisL, 
Claudius  Venator  from  Rome,  who  is  to  assist  me  with 
his  advice." 

"  I  never  even  heard  his  name,"  said  Papias,  who 


132  THE    EMPEROR. 

was  wont  to  trouble  himself  as  little  about  the  persons 
as  about  the  works  of  other  artists. 

"  I  wonder  at  that,"  said  Pontius,  closing  the  double 
tablets  which  announced  the  Emperor's  advent. 

"  Can  he  do  anything  ?"  asked  Pollux. 

"  More  than  any  one  of  us,"  replied  Pontius.  "  He 
is  a  mighty  man." 

"  That  is  splendid  !"  exclaimed  Pollux.  "  I  like  to 
see  great  men.  When  one  looks  me  in  the  eye  I  always 
feel  as  if  some  of  his  superabundance  overflowed  into 
me,  and  irresistibly  I  draw  myself  up  and  think  how  fine 
it  would  be  if  one  day  I  might  reach  as  high  as  that 
man's  chin." 

"  Beware  of  morbid  ambition,"  said  Papias  to  his 
pupil  in  a  warning  voice.  "It  is  not  the  man  who 
stands  on  tiptoe,  but  he  who  does  his  duty  diligently, 
that  can  attain  anything  great." 

"  He  honestly  does  his,"  said  the  architect  rising, 
and  he  laid  his  hajid  on  the  young  sculptor's  shoulder. 
"  We  all  do ;  to-morrow  by  sunrise  each  must  be  at  his 
post  again.  For  my  colleague's  sake  it  Avill  be  well  that 
you  should  all  be  there  in  good  time." 

The  artists  rose,  expressing  their  thanks  and  regrets. 

"  You  will  not  escape  the  continuation  of  this  even- 
ing's entertainment,"  cried  one  of  the  painters,  and  Pa- 
pias, as  he  parted  from  Pontius,  said  : 

"  When  we  next  meet  I  will  show  you  what  I  under- 
stand by  a  drinking-speech.  It  will  do  perhaps  for 
your  Roman  guest.  I  am  curious  to  hear  what  he  will 
say  about  our  Urania.  Pollux  has  done  his  share  of 
the  work  very  well,  and  I  have  already  devoted  an 
hour's  work  to  it,  which  has  improved  it.  The  more 
humble  our  material,  the  better  I  shall  be  pleased  if  the 


THK     KMPEROR.  133 

work  satisfies  Caesar;  he  himself  has  tried  his  hand  at 
sculpture." 

"  If  only  Hadrian  could  hear  that!"  cried  one  of  the 
painters.  "  He  likes  to  think  himself  a  great  artist — one 
of  the  foremost  of  our  time.  It  is  said  that  he  caused 
the  life  of  the  great  architect,  ApoUodorus — who  carried 
out  such  noble  works  for  Trajan — to  be  extinguished — 
and  why  ?  because  formerly  that  illustrious  man  had 
treated  the  imperial  bungler  as  a  mere  dabbler,  and 
would  not  accept  his  plan  for  the  temple  of  Venus  at 
Rome." 

"  Mere  talk !"  answered  Pontius  to  this  accusation. 
ApoUodorus  died  in  prison,  but  his  incarceration  had 
little  enough  to  do  with  the  Emperor's  productions — 
excuse  me,  gentlemen,  I  must  once  more  look  through 
the  sketches  and  plans," 

The  architect  went  away,  but  Pollux  continued  the 
conversation  that  had  been  begun  by  saying: 

"  Only  I  cannot  understand  how  a  man  who  prac- 
tises so  many  arts  at  once  as  Hadrian  does,  and  at  the 
same  time  looks  after  the  state  and  its  government, 
who  is  a  passionate  huntsman  and  who  dabbles  in 
every  kind  of  miscellaneous  learning,  contrives,  when 
he  wants  to  practise  one  particular  form  of  art,  to  recall 
all  his  five  senses  into  the  nest  from  which  he  has  let 
them  fly,  here,  there,  and  everywhere.  The  inside  of 
his  head  must  be  like  that  salad-bowl — which  we  have 
reduced  to  emptiness — in  which  Papias  discovered  three 
sorts  of  fish,  brown  and  white  meat,  oysters  and  five 
other  substances." 

"  And  who  can  deny,"  added  Papias,  "  that  if  talent 
is  the  father,  and  meat  the  mother  of  all  productiveness, 
practice  must  be  the  artist's  teacher !     Since   Hadrian 


134  THE    EMPEROR. 

took  to  sculpture  and  painting  it  has  become  the  uni- 
versal fashion  here  to  practise  these  arts,  and  among 
the  wealthier  youth  who  come  to  my  workroom,  many 
have  very  good  abilities;  but  not  one  of  them  brings 
anything  to  any  good  issue,  because  so  much  of  their 
time  is  taken  up  by  the  gymnasium,  the  bath,  the  quail- 
fights,  the  suppers,  and  I  know  not  what  besides,  so 
that  they  do  nothing  by  way  of  practice," 

"  True,"  said  a  painter.  "  Without  the  restraint 
and  worry  of  apprenticeship  no  one  can  ever  rise  to 
happy  and  independent  creativeness ;  and  in  the  schools 
of  rhetoric  or  in  hunting  or  fighting  no  one  can  study 
drawing.  It  is  not  till  a  pupil  has  learned  to  sit  steady 
and  worry  himself  over  his  work  for  six  hours  on  end 
that  I  begin  to  believe  he  will  ever  do  any  good  work. 
Have  you  any  of  you  seen  the  Emperor's  work  ?" 

"  I  have,"  answered  a  mosaic  worker.  "  Many 
years  ago  Hadrian  sent  a  picture  to  me  that  he  had 
painted;  I  was  to  make  a  mosaic  from  it.  It  was  a 
fruit  piece.  Melons,  gourds,  apples,  and  green  leaves. 
The  drawing  was  but  so-so,  and  the  color  impossibly 
vivid,  still  the  composition  was  pleasing  from  its  solidity 
and  richness.  And  after  all,  when  one  sees  it,  one 
cannot  but  feel  that  such  superfluity  is  better  than 
meagreness  and  feebleness.  The  larger  fruits,  especially 
under  the  exuberant  sappy  foliage,  were  so  huge  that 
they  might  have  been  grown  in  the  garden  of  luxury 
itself,  still  the  whole  had  a  look  of  reality,  I  mitigated 
the  colors  somewhat  in  my  transcript;  you  may  still 
see  a  coi)y  of  the  picture  at  my  house,  it  hangs  in  the 
studio  where  my  men  draw,  Nealkes,  the  rich  hanging- 
maker,  has  had  a  tapestry  woven  from  it  which  Pontius 
proposes  to  use  as  a  hanging  for  a  wall  of  the  work- 


TUi:    KMPKRfJR.  135 

room,  but  I  have  made  a  fine  firame  on  purpose 
for  it." 

"  Say  rather  for  its  designer." 

"  Or  yet  rather,"  added  the  most  loquacious  of  the 
painters,  "  for  the  visit  he  may  possibly  pay  your  work- 
shops." 

"  I  only  wish  the  Emperor  may  come  to  ours  too ! 
[  should  like  to  sell  him  my  picture  of  Alexander 
saluted  by  the  priests  in  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Amnion." 

"  I  hope  that  when  you  agree  about  the  price  you 
will  remember  we  are  partners,"  said  his  fellow-artist 
smugly. 

"  I  will  follow  your  example  strictly,"  replied  the 
other. 

"  Then  you  will  certainly  not  be  a  loser,"  cried 
Papias,  "  for  Eustorgius  is  fully  aware  of  the  worth  of 
his  works.  And  if  Hadrian  is  to  order  works  from 
every  master  whose  art  he  dabbles  in,  he  will  require  a 
fleet  on  purpose  to  carry  his  purchases  to  Rome." 

"  It  is  said,"  continued  Eustorgius,  laughing,  "  that 
he  is  a  painter  among  poets,  a  sculptor  among  painters, 
an  astronomer  among  musicians,  and  a  sophist  among 
artists — that  is  to  say,  that  he  j)ursues  every  art  and 
science  with  some  success  as  his  secondary  occupation." 

As  he  spoke  the  last  words  Pontius  returned  to  the 
table  where  the  artists  were  standing  round  the  wine- 
jar  ;  he  had  heard  the  painter's  last  remark  and  inter- 
rupted him  by  saying : 

"  But  my  friend  you  forget  that  he  is  a  monarch 
among  monarchs — and  not  merely  among  those  of  to- 
day— in  the  fullest  meaning  of  the  word.  Each  of  us 
separately  can  produce  something  better  and  more  per- 
fect in  his  own  line ;  but  how  great  is  the  man  who  by 


136  riiE     I'.MPEROR. 

earnestness  and  skill  can  even  apprehend  everything 
that  the  mind  has  ever  been  able  to  conceive  of,  or 
the  creative  spirit  of  the  artist  to  embody !  I  know 
him,  and  I  know  that  he  loves  a  really  thorough 
master,  and  tries  to  encourage  him  with  princely  liber- 
ahty.  But  his  ears  are  everywhere,  and  he  promptly 
becomes  the  implacable  enemy  of  those  who  provoke 
his  resentment.  So  bridle  your  restive  Alexandrian 
tongues,  and  let  me  tell  you  that  my  colleague  from 
Rome  is  in  the  closest  intimacy  with  Hadrian.  He  is 
of  the  same  age,  resembles  him  greatly,  and  repeats  to 
him  everything  that  he  hears  said  about  him.  So  cease 
talking  about  Caesar  and  pass  no  severer  judgments  on 
dilettanti  in  the  purple  than  on  your  wealthy  pupils, 
who  paint  and  chisel  for  the  mere  love  of  it,  and  for 
whom  you  find  it  so  easy  to  lisp  out  '  channing,'  or 
'  wonderfully  pretty,'  or  *  remarkably  nice.'  Take  my 
warning  in  good  part,  you  know  I  mean  it  well." 

He  spoke  the  last  words  with  a  cordial,  manly  feel- 
ing, of  which  his  voice  was  peculiarly  capable,  and 
which  was  always  certain  to  secure  him  the  confidence 
even  of  the  recalcitrant. 

The  artists  exchanged  greetings  and  hand-shakings 
and  left  the  hall ;  a  slave  carried  away  the  wine-jar  and 
wiped  the  table,  on  which  Pontius  proceeded  to  lay  out 
his  sketches  and  plans.  But  he  was  not  alone,  for 
Pollux  was  soon  at  his  side,  and  with  a  comical  expres- 
sion of  pathos  and  laying  his  finger  on  his  nose,  he 
said : 

"  I  have  come  out  of  my  cage  to  say  something 
more  to  you." 

"  Well  ?" 

"  The  hour  is  approaching  when  I  may  hope  to  re- 


THE    EMPEROR.  137 

pay  the  beneficent  deeds,  which,  at  various  times,  you 
have  done  to  my  interior.  My  mother  will  to-morrow 
morning,  set  before  you  that  dish  of  cabbage.  It  could 
not  be  done  sooner,  because  the  only  perfect  sausage- 
maker,  the  very  king  of  his  trade,  prepares  these  savory 
cylinders  only  once  a  week.  A  few  hours  ago  he  com- 
pleted the  making  of  the  sausages,  and  to-morrow 
morning  my  mother  will  warm  up  for  our  breakfasts  the 
noble  mess,  which  she  is  preparing  for  us  this  evening — 
for,  as  I  have  told  you,  it  is  in  its  warmed-up  state  that 
it  is  the  ideal  of  its  kind.  What  will  follow  by  way  of 
sweets  we  shall  owe  again  to  my  mother's  art;  but  the 
cheering  and  invigorating  element — I  mean  the  wine 
that  '  drives  dull  care  away,'  we  owe  to  my  sister." 

"  I  will  come,"  said  Pontius,  "  if  my  guest  leaVes 
me  an  hour  free,  and  I  shall  enjoy  the  excellent  dish. 
But  what  does  a  gay  bird  like  you  know  of  dull  care  ?" 

"  The  words  fit  into  the  metre,"  repHed  Pollux.  "  I 
inherit  from  my  father — who,  when  he  is  not  gate-keep- 
ing, sings  and  recites — a  troublesome  tendency  when- 
ever anything  incites  me  to  drift  into  rhythm." 

*'  But  to-day  you  have  been  more  silent  than  usual, 
and  yet  you  seemed  to  me  to  be  extraordinarily  content. 
Not  your  face  only,  but  your  whole  length — a  good 
measure — from  the  sole  of  your  foot  to  the  crown  of 
your  head  was  like  a  brimming  cask  of  satisfaction." 

**  Well,  there  is  much  that  is  lovely  in  this  world !" 
cried  Pollux,  stretching  himself  comfortably  and  lifting 
his  arms  with  his  hands  clasped  far  above  his  head  to- 
wards heaven. 

"  Has  anything  specially  pleasant  happened  to 
you  ?" 

"  There  is  no  need  for  that !     Here  I  live  in  ex- 


138  THE    EMPEROR. 

cellent  company,  the  work  progresses,  and — well,  why- 
should  I  deny  it  ?  There  was  something  specially  to 
mark  to-day ;  I  met  an  old  acquaintance  again." 

"  An  old  one  ?" 

"  I  have  already  known  her  sixteen  years ;  but 
when  I  first  saw  her  she  was  in  swaddling  clothes." 

"  Then  this  venerable  damsel  friend  is  more  than 
sixteen,  perhaps  seventeen  !  Is  Eros  the  friend  of  the 
happy,  or  does  happiness  only  follow  in  his  train  ?" 
As  the  architect  thoughtfully  said  these  words  to  him- 
self, Pollux  listened  attentively  to  a  noise  outside,  and 
said: 

"  Who  can  be  passing  out  there  at  this  hour  ?  Do 
you  not  hear  the  bark  of  a  big  dog  mingle  with  the 
snapping  of  the  three  Graces  ?" 

"  It  is  Titianus  conducting  the  architect  fi"om 
Rome,"  replied  Pontius  excitedly. 

"  I  will  go  to  meet  him.  But  one  thing  more  my 
friend,  you  too  have  an  Alexandrian  tongue.  Beware 
of  laughing  at  the  Emperor's  artistic  efforts  in  the 
presence  of  this  Roman.  I  repeat  it:  the  man  who  is 
now  coming  is  superior  to  us  all,  and  there  is  nothing 
more  repellant  to  me  than  when  a  small  man  assumes 
a  strutting  air  of  importance  because  he  fancies  he  has 
discovered  in  some  great  man  a  weak  spot  where  his 
own  little  body  happens  to  be  sound.  The  artist  I  am 
expecting  is  a  grand  man,  but  the  Emperor  Hadrian  is 
a  grander.  Now  retire  behind  your  screens,  and  to- 
morrow morning  I  will  be  your  guest." 


THE    EMPEROR.  139 


CHAPTER   XI. 


Pontius  threw  his  pallium  over  the  chiton  he  com- 
monly wore  at  his  work  and  went  forward  to  meet  the 
sovereign  of  the  world,  whose  arrival  had  been  an- 
nounced to  him  in  the  prefect's  letter.  He  was  per- 
fectly calm,  and  if  his  heart  beat  a  little  faster  than 
usual,  it  was  only  because  he  was  pleased  once  more  to 
meet  the  wonderful  man  whose  personality  had  made  a 
deep  impression  on  hmi  before. 

In  the  happy  consciousness  of  having  done  all  that 
lay  in  his  power  and  of  deserving  no  blame,  he  went 
through  the  ante-chambers  and  chief  entrance  of  the 
palace  into  the  fore-court,  where  a  crowd  of  slaves 
were  busied  by  torch-light  in  laying  new  marble  slabs. 
Neither  these  workmen  nor  their  overseers  had  paid 
any  heed  to  the  barking  of  the  dogs  and  the  loud  talk- 
ing which  had  for  some  little  time  been  audible  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  gate-keeper's  lodge ;  for  a  special  rate  of 
payment  had  been  promised  to  the  laborers  and  their 
foremen  if  they  should  have  finished  a  set  piece  of  the 
new  pavement  by  a  certain  hour,  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  architect.  No  one  who  heard  the  deep  man's-voice 
ring  through  the  court  from  the  doorway  guessed  to 
whom  it  belonged. 

The  Emperor  had  been  delayed  by  adverse  winds 
and  had  not  run  into  the  harbor  till  a  little  before  mid- 
night. 

Titianus,  who  was  watching  for  him,  he  greeted  as 
an  old  friend  with  heartfelt  warmth,  and  with  him  and 


140  THE    EMPEROR. 

Antinous  he  stepped  into  the  prefect's  chariot,  while 
Phlegon  the  secretary,  Hermogenes  his  physician,  and 
Mastor  with  the  luggage,  among  which  were  their  camp- 
beds,  were  to  follow  in  another  vehicle.  The  harbor 
watchmen  hastened  to  array  themselves  indignantly  to 
oppose  the  chariot,  as  it  rolled  noisily  along  the  street, 
and  the  huge  dog  that  destroyed  the  peace  of  the  night 
with  its  baying ;  but  as  soon  as  they  recognized  Titianus 
they  respectfully  made  way.  The  gate-keeper  and  his 
wife,  obedient  to  the  prefect's  warning,  had  remained 
up,  and  as  soon  as  the  singer  heard  the  chariot  ap- 
proaching which  bore  the  Emperor,  he  hastened  to 
open  the  palace-gates.  The  broken-up  pavement  and 
the  swarms  of  men  engaged  in  repairing  it,  obliged 
Titianus  and  his  companions  to  quit  the  chariot  here  and 
to  pass  close  to  the  little  gate-house.  Hadrian,  whose 
observation  nothing  ever  escaped  which  came  in  his 
way  and  seemed  worth  noticing,  stood  still  before  Eu- 
phorion's  door  and  looked  into  the  comfortable  little 
room,  with  its  decoration  of  flowers  and  birds  and  the 
statue  of  Apollo ;  while  4ame  Doris  in  her  newest  gar- 
ments, stood  on  the  threshold  to  watch  for  the  prefect. 
And  Titianus  greeted  her  warmly,  for  he  was  wont 
whenever  he  came  to  Lochias  to  exchange  a  few  merry 
or  wise  words  with  her.  The  little  dogs  had  already 
crept  into  their  basket,  but  as  soon  as  they  caught 
sight  of  a  strange  dog  they  rushed  past  their  mistress 
into  the  open  air,  and  dame  Doris  found  herself 
obliged,  while  she  returned  the  kindly  greeting  of  her 
patron,  to  shout  at  Euphrosyne,  Thalia  and  Aglaia 
more  than  once  by  their  pretty  names. 

"  Splendid,  splendid  !"  cried  Hadrian,  pointing 'into 
the  little  house.     "  An  idyl,  a  perfect  idyl.     Who  would 


THE    EMPEROR.  141 

have  expected  to  find  such  a  smiling  nook  of  peace  in 
the  most  restless  and  busy  town  in  the  empire." 

"  I  and  Pontius  were  equally  surprised  at  this  little 
nest,  and  we  therefore  left  it  untouched,"  said  the  prefect. 

"  Intelligent  people  understand  each  other,  and  I 
owe  you  thanks  for  preserving  this  little  home,"  an- 
swered the  Emperor.  "  What  an  omen,  what  a  favor- 
able, in  every  way  favorable  augury,  it  offers  me.  The 
Graces  receive  me  here  into  these  old  walls,  Aglaia, 
Thalia  and  Euphrosyne !" 

"  Good  luck  to  you.  Master,"  old  Doris  called  out 
to  the  prefect. 

"  We  come  late,"  said  Hadrian. 

"  That  does  not  matter,"  said  the  old  woman. 
"  Here  at  Lochias  for  the  last  week  we  have  quite  for- 
gotten to  distinguish  day  from  night,  and  a  blessing 
can  never  come  too  late." 

"  I  have  brought  with  me  to-day  an  illustrious 
guest,"  said  Titianus.  "  The  great  Roman  architect 
Claudius  Venator.    He  only  disembarked  a  few  minutes 

since." 

* 

"  Then  a  draught  of  wme  will  do  him  good.  We 
have  in  the  house  some  good  white  Marcotic  from  my 
daughter's  garden  by  the  lake.  If  your  friend  will  do 
us  humble  folks  so  much  honor,  I  beg  he  will  step  into 
our  room ;  it  is  clean,  is  it  not  sir  ?  and  the  cup  I  will 
give  him  to  drink  it  out  of  would  not  disgrace  the  * 
Emperor  himself  Who  knows  what  you  will  find  up 
in  the  midst  of  all  the  muddle  yonder  ?" 

"  I  will  accept  your  invitation  with  pleasure,"  an- 
swered Hadrian.  "  I  can  see  by  your  face  that  you 
have  a  pleasure  in  entertaining  us,  and  any  one  might 
envy  you  your  little  house." 


142  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  When  the  climbing-rose  and  the  honey-suckle  are 
out  it  is  much  prettier,"  said  Doris,  as  she  filled  the 
cup.     "  Here  is  some  water  for  mixing." 

The  Emperor  took  the  cup  carved  by  Pollux,  looked 
at  it  with  admiration,  and  before  putting  it  to  his  lips 
said: 

"  A  masterpiece,  dame ;  what  would  Caesar  find  to 
drink  out  of  here  where  the  gate-keeper  uses  such  a 
treasure  ?    Who  executed  this  admirable  work,  pray  ?" 

"  My  son  carved  it  for  me  in  his  spare  time." 

"  He  is  a  highly-skilled  sculptor,"  Titianus  ex- 
plained. 

When  the  Emperor  had  half  emptied  the  cup  with 
much  satisfaction  he  set  it  on  the  table,  and  said : 

"  A  very  noble  drink !     I  thank  you,  mother." 

"  And  I  you,  for  styling  me  mother :  there  is  no 
better  title  a  woman  can  have  who  has  brought  up 
good  children ;  and  I  have  three  who  need  never  be 
ashamed  to  be  seen." 

"  I  wish  you  all  luck  with  them,  good  little  mother," 
replied  the  Emperor.  "  We  shall  meet  again,  for  I  am 
going  to  spend  some  days  at  Lochias." 

"  Now,  in  all  this  bustle  ?"  asked  Doris. 

"  This  great  architect,"  said  Titianus,  in  explanation, 
"  is  to  advise  and  help  our  Pontius." 

"  He  needs  no  help  !"  cried  the  old  woman.  "  He 
is  a  man  of  the  best  stamp.  His  foresight  and  energy, 
my  son  says,  are  incomparable.  I  have  seen  him  giving 
his  orders  myself,  and  I  know  a  man  when  I  see  him !" 

"  And  what  particularly  pleased  you  in  him  ?"  asked 
Hadrian,  who  was  much  amused  with  the  shrewd  old 
woman's  freedom. 

"  He  never  for  a  moment  loses  his  temper  in  all  the 


THE     EMPEROR.  143 

hurry,  never  speaks  a  word  too  much  or  too  Httle ;  he 
can  be  stern  when  it  is  necessary,  but  he  is  kind  to  his 
inferiors.  What  his  'merits  are  as  an  iartist  I  am  not 
capable  of  judging,  but  I  am  quite  certain  that  he  is  a 
just  and  able  man." 

"  I  know  him  myself,"  replied  Caesar,  "  and  you 
describe  him  rightly ;  but  he  seemed  to  me  sterner  than 
he  has  shown  himself  to  you." 

"  Being  a  man  he  must  be  able  to  be  severe ;  but 
he  is  so  only  when  it  is  necessary,  and  how  kind  he  can 
be  he  shows  himself  every  day.  A  man  grows  to  the 
mould  of  his  own  mind  when  he  is  a  great  deal  alone ; 
and  this  I  have  noticed,  that  a  man  who  is  repellant 
and  sharp  to  those  beneath  him  is  not  in  himself  any- 
thing really  great;  for  it  shows  that  he  considers  it 
necessary  to  guard  against  the  danger  of  being  looked 
upon  as  of  no  more  consequence  than  the  poorer  folks 
he  deals  with.  Now,  a  man  of  real  worth  knows  that 
it  can  be  seen  in  his  bearing,  even  when  he  treats  one 
of  us  as  an  equal.  Pontius  does  so,  and  Titianus,  and 
you  who  are  his  friend,  no  less.  It  is  a  good  thing 
that  you  should  have  come — but,  as  I  said  before,  the 
architect  up  there  can  do  very  well  without  you." 

"  You  do  not  seem  to  rate  my  capacity  very  highly, 
and  I  regret  it,  for  you  have  lived  with  your  eyes  open 
and  have  learned  to  judge  men  keenly." 

Doris  looked  shrewdly  at  the  Emperor  with  her 
kindly  glance,  as  if  taking  his  mental  measure,  and  then 
answered  confidently : 

"  You — you  are  a  great  man  too — it  is  quite  pos- 
sible that  you  might  see  things  that  would  escape 
Pontius.  There  are  a  few  choice  souls  whom  the 
Muses  particularly  love  and  you  are  one  of  them." 


144  'JHE     KMPEROR. 

"  What  leads  you  to  suppose  so  ?" 

"  I  see  it  in  your  gaze — in  your  brow." 

"  You  havethe  gift  of  divinatfon,  then  ?" 

"  No,  I  am  not  one  of  that  sort ;  but  I  am  the 
mother  of  two  sons  on  whom  also  the  Immortals  have  be- 
stowed the  special  gift,  which  I  cannot  exactly  describe. 
It  was  in  them  I  first  saw  it,  and  wherever  I  have  met 
with  it  since  in  other  men  and  artists — they  have  been 
the  elect  of  their  circle.  And  you  too — I  could  swear 
to  it,  that  you  are  foremost  of  the  men  among  whom 
you  live." 

"  Do  not  swear  lightly,"  laughed  the  Emperor. 
"  We  will  meet  and  talk  together  again  little  mother, 
and  when  I  depart  I  will  ask  you  again  whether  you 
have  not  been  deceived  in  me.  Come  now,  Telem- 
achus,  the  dame's  birds  seem  to  delight  you  very 
much." 

These  words  were  addressed  to  Antinous,  who  had 
been  going  from  cage  to  cage  contemplating  the 
feathered  pets,  all  sleeping  snugly,  with  much  curiosity 
and  pleasure. 

"  Is  that  your  son  ?"  asked  Doris. 

"  No,  dame,  he  is  only  my  pupil ;  but  I  feel  as  if  he 
were  my  son." 

"  He  is  a  beautiful  lad  !" 

"  Why,  the  old  lady  still  looks  after  the  young 
men !" 

"  We  do  not  give  that  up  till  we  are  a  hundred  or 
till  the  Parcae  cut  the  thread  of  life." 

"  What  a  confession  !" 

"  Let  me  finish  my  speech. — ^U^^e  never  cease  to  take 
pleasure  in  seeing  a  handsome  young  fellow,  but  so  long 
as  we  are  you>ig  we  ask  ourselves  what  he  may  have  in 


THE    EMPEROR. 


145 


Store  for  us,  and  as  we  grow  old  we  are  perfectly  satis- 
fied to  be  able  to  show  him  kindness.  Listen  young 
master.  You  will  always  find  me  here  if  you  want  any- 
thing in  which  I  can  serve  you.  I  am  like  a  snail  and 
very  rarely  leave  my  shell." 

"  Till  our  next  meeting,"  cried  Hadrian,  and  he  and 
his  companions  went  out  into  the  court. 

There  the  difficulty  was  to  find  a  footing  on  the  dis- 
jointed pavement.  Titianus  went  on  in  front  of  the 
Emperor  and  Antinous,  and  so  but  kw  words  of  friendly 
pleasure  could  be  exchanged  by  the  monarch  and  his 
vicegerent  on  the  occasion  of  their  meeting  again. 
Hadrian  stepped  cautiously  forward,  his  face  wearing 
meanwhile  a  satisfied  smile.  The  verdict  passed  by  the 
simple  shrewd  woman  of  the  people  had  given  him  far 
greater  pleasure  than  the  turgid  verse  in  which  Meso- 
medes  and  his  compeers  were  wont  to  sing  his  praises, 
or  the  flattering  speeches  with  which  he  was  loaded  by 
the  sophists  and  rhetoricians. 

The  old  woman  had  taken  him  for  no  more  than  an 
artist ;  she  could  not  know  who  he  was,  and  yet  she  had 
recognized — or  had  Titianus  been  indiscreet  ?  Did  she 
know  or  suspect  whom  she  was  talking  to  ?  Hadrian's 
deeply  suspicious  nature  Avas  more  and  more  roused ;  he 
began  to  fancy  that  the  gate-keeper's  wife  had  learnt  her 
speech  by  heart,  and  that  her  welcome  had  been  precon- 
certed ;  he  suddenly  paused  and  desired  the  prefect  to 
wait  for  him,  and  Antinous  to  remain  behind  with  the 
dog.  He  turned  round,  retraced  his  steps  to  the  gate- 
house and  slipped  close  up  to  it  in  a  very  unprincely 
way.  He  stood  still  'by  the  door  of  the  little  house 
which  was  still  open,  and  listened  to  the  conversation 
between  Doris  and  her  husband. 

7'^^  Emperor.  I.  10 


146  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  A  fine  tall  man,"  said  Euphorion,  "  he  is  a  little 
like  the  Emperor." 

"  Not  a  bit,"  replied  Doris.  "  Only  think  of  the  full- 
length  statue  of  Hadrian  in  the  garden  of  the  Paneum ;  it 
has  a  dissatisfied  satirical  expression,  and  the  architect 
has  a  grave  brow,  it  is  true,  but  pure  friendly  kindness 
lights  up  his  features.  It  is  only  the  beard  that  reminds 
you  of  the  one  when  you  look  at  the  other.  Hadrian 
might  be  very  glad  if  he  were  like  the  prefect's  guest." 

"  Yes,  he  is  handsomer — how  shall  I  say  it — more 
like  the  gods  than  that  cold  marble  figure,"  Euphorion 
declared.  "A  grand  noble,  he  is  no  doubt,  but  still  an 
artist  too ;  I  wonder  whether  he  could  be  induced  by 
Pontius  or  Papias  or  Aristeas  or  one  of  the  great 
painters  to  take  the  part  of  Calchas  the  soothsayer  in 
our  group  at  the  festival  ?  He  would  perform  it  in 
quite  another  way  than  that  dry  stick  Philemon  the  ivory 
carver.  Hand  me  my  lute ;  I  have  already  forgotten 
again  the  beginning  of  the  last  verse.  Oh  !  my  wretched 
memory !     Thank  you," 

Euphorion  loudly  struck  the  strings  and  sang  in 
a  voice  that  was  still  tolerably  sweet  and  very  well 
trained  : 

"  *  Sabina  hail !  Oh  Sabina  ! — Hail ;  victorious  hail  to 
the  conquering  goddess  Sabina!'  If  only  Pollux  were 
here  he  would  remind  me  of  the  right  words.  '  Hail ; 
victorious  hail,  to  the  thousandfold  Sabina!' — That  is 
nonsense.  '  Hail,  hail !  divine  hail  to  thee  O  all-con- 
quering Sabina.'  No  it  was  not  that  either.  If  a 
crocodile  would  only  swallow  this  Sabina  I  would  give 
him  that  hot  cake  in  yonder  dish  with  pleasure,  for  his 
pudding.  But  stay — I  have  it.  'Hail,  a  thousand- 
fold hail  to  the  conquering  goddess  Sabina !'  " 


THE    EMPEROR.  I47 

Hadrian  had  heard  all  he  wanted ;  while  Euphorion 
went  on  repeating  his  line  a  score  or  more  of  times  to 
impress  it  on  his  recalcitrant  memory.  Caesar  turned 
his  back  on  the  gate-house,  and  while  he  and  his  com- 
panions picked  their  way  not  without  difficulty  through 
the  workmen  who  squatted  here  and  there  and  every- 
where on  the  ground,  he  clapped  Titianus  more  than 
once  on  his  shoulder,  and  after  he  had  been  received 
and  welcomed  by  Pontius,  he  exclaimed  : 

"  I  bless  my  decision  to  come  here  now !  I  have 
had  a  good  evening,  a  quite  delightful  evening." 

The  Emperor  had  not  felt  so  cheerful  and  free  from 
care  for  years  as  on  this  occasion,  and  when  in  spite  of 
the  late  hour  he  found  the  workmen  still  busy  every- 
where, and  saw  all  that  had  already  been  restored  in  the 
old  palace  and  what  was  being  done  for  its  renovation, 
the  restless  man  could  not  resist  expressing  his  satisfac- 
tion, and  exclaimed,  to  Antinous : 

"  Here  we  may  see  that  even  in  our  sordid  times 
miracles  may  be  wrought  by  good-will,  industry,  and 
skill.  Explain  to  me  my  good  Pontius  how  you  were 
able  to  construct  that  enormous  scaffold." 


CHAPTER    XII. 

More  pleasant  hours  were  to  follow  on  the  amusing 
arrival  of  the  Emperor  at  his  half-finished  residence  at 
Lochias  that  night.  Pontius  proposed  to  him  to  in- 
spect several  well-preserved  rooms,  which  had  in  the 
first  instance  been  reserved  for  the  gentlemen  of  his 
suite  J  and  one  of  these  with  an  open  outlook  on  the  har- 


148  THE    EMPEROR. 

bor,  the  town,  and  the  island  of  Antirrhodus  he  sug- 
gested should  be  provisionally  furnished  for  the  Em- 
peror's reception.  Thanks  to  the  architect's  foresight, 
to  Master's  practised  hand,  and  to  the  numbers  of  men 
employed  in  the  palace  who  were  accustomed  to  all 
kinds  of  service — provision  was  soon  made  for  the  night, 
for  Hadrian  and  his  companions.  The  comfortable 
couch  which  the  prefect  had  sent  to  Lochias  for  Pon- 
tius was  carried  into  the  Emperor's  sleeping-room,  and 
the  camp-beds  for  Antinous  and  the  suite  were  soon  set 
up  in  the  other  rooms.  Tables,  pillows,  and  various 
household  vessels  which  had  already  been  sent  in  from 
the  manufactories  of  Alexandria,  and  which  stood 
packed  in  bales  and  cases  in  the  large  central  court  of 
the  palace  were  soon  taken  out,  and  so  far  as  they  were 
applicable  for  use  were  carried  into  the  hastily-arranged 
rooms.  Even  before  Hadrian,  under  the  prefect's  guid- 
ance, had  reached  the  last  room  in  which  restorations 
were  being  carried  out,  Pontius  was  ready  with  his  ar- 
rangements, and  could  assure  the  Emperor  that  to-night 
he  would  find  a  good  bed  and  very  tolerable  quarters, 
and  that  by  to-morrow  he  should  have  a  really  ele- 
gantly-furnished room. 

"  Charming,  quite  delightful,"  cried  the  Emperor, 
as  he  entered  his  room.  "  One  might  fancy  you  had 
some  industrious  demons  at  your  command.  Pour 
some  water  over  my  hands,  Mastor,  and  then  to  supper  ! 
I  am  as  hungry  as  a  beggar's  dog." 

"  I  think  we  shall  find  all  you  need,"  replied 
Titianus,  while  Hadrian  washed  his  hands  and  his 
bearded  face. 

"  Have  you  eaten  all  that  1  sent  down  to  Lochias 
to-day,  my  dear  Pontius  ?  " 


THli    EMPEROR.  149 

"Alas  !  we  have,"  sighed  Pontius. 

"  But  I  gave  orders  that  a  supper  for  five  should  bo 
sent." 

"  It  sufficed  for  six  hungry  artists,"  answered  the 
architect,  "if  only  I  could  have  guessed  for  whom  the 
food  was  intended !  And  now  what  is  to  be  done  ? 
There  are  wine  and  bread  still  in  the  hall  of  the 
Muses,  meanwhile " 

"  That  must  satisfy  us,"  said  the  Emperor,  as  he 
wiped  his  face.  "  In  the  Dacian  war,  in  Numidia, 
and  often  when  out  hunting,  I  have  been  glad  if  only 
one  or  the  other  was  to  be  obtained." 

Antinous,  who  was  very  hungry  and  tired,  made  a 
melancholy  face  at  these  words  of  his  master,  and 
Hadrian  j)erceiving  it,  added  with  a  smile  : 

"  But  youth  needs  something  more  to  live  upon  than 
bread  and  wine.  You  pointed  out  to  me  just  now  the 
residence  of  the  palace-steward.  Might  we  not  find 
there  a  morsel  of  meat  or  cheese,  or  something  of  the 
kind  ?  " 

"  Hardly,"  replied  Pontius  '-for  the  man  stuffs  his 
fat  stomach  and  his  eight  children  with  bread  and  por- 
ridge. But  an  attempt  will  at  any  rate  be  worth  making." 

"  Then  send  to  him ;  but  conduct  us  at  once  to  the 
hall  where  the  Muses  have  preserved  some  bread  and 
wine  for  me  and  these  good  fellows,  though  they  do  not 
always  provide  them  for  their  disciples." 

Pontius  at  once  conducted  the  Emperor  into  the 
hall.     On  the  way  thither,  Hadrian  asked  : 

"  Is  the  steward  so  miserably  paid  that  he  is  forced 
to  content  himself  with  such  meagre  fare?  " 

"  He  has  a  residence  rent  free,  and  two  hundred 
drachmae  a  month." 


150  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  That  is  not  so  very  little.  What  is  the  man's 
name,  and  of  what  kith  and  kin  is  he  ?  " 

"  He  is  called  Keraunus,  and  is  of  ancient  Mace- 
donian descent.  His  ancestors  from  time  immemorial 
have  held  the  office  he  now  fills,  and  he  even  supposes 
himself  to  be  related  to  the  extinct  royal  dynasty  through 
the  mistress  of  some  one  of  the  Lagides.  Keraunus 
sits  in  the  town  council  and  never  stirs  out  in  the  streets 
without  his  slave,  who  is  one  of  the  sort  which  the  mer- 
chants in  the  slave  market  throw  into  the  bargain  with 
the  buyer.  He  is  as  fat  as  a  stuffed  pig,  dresses  hke  a 
senator,  loves  antiquities  and  curiosities,  for  which  he 
will  let  himself  be  cheated  of  his  last  coin,  and  bears  his 
poverty  with  more  of  pride  than  of  dignity ;  and  still 
he  is  an  honorable  man,  and  can  be  made  useful,  if  he  is 
taken  on  the  right  side." 

"  Altogether  a  queer  fellow.  And  you  say  he  is  fat, 
is  he  jolly  ?  " 

"  As  far  from  it  as  possible." 

"  Ah,  people  who  are  fat  and  cross  are  my  aversion. 
What  is  this  by  way  of  an  erection  ?  " 

"  Behind  that  screen  works  Papias'  best  scholar. 
His  name  is  Pollux,  and  he  is  the  son  of  the  couple 
who  keep  the  gate-house.  You  will  be  pleased  with 
him." 

"  Call  him  here,"  said  the  Emperor. 

But  before  the  architect  could  comply  with  his  de- 
sire the  sculptor's  head  had  appeared  above  the  screen. 
The  young  man  had  heard  the  approaching  voices  and 
steps ;  he  greeted  the  prefect  respectfully  from  his  ele- 
vated position,  and  after  satisfying  his  curiosity  was 
about  to  spring  down  from  the  stool  on  which  he  had 
climbed   when    Pontius  called   to   him  that   Claudius 


THE    EMPEROK 


151 


Venator,  the  architect  from  Rome,  wished  to  make  his 
acquaintance. 

"  That  is  very  kind  in  him,  and  still  more  kind  in 
you,"  Pollux  answered  from  above,  "  since  it  is  only 
from  you  that  he  can  know  that  I  exist  beneath  the 
moon,  and  use  the  hammer  and  chisel.  Allow  me  to 
descend  from  my  four-legged  cothurnus,  for  at  present 
you  are  forced  to  look  up  to  me,  and  from  all  I  have 
heard  of  your  talents  from  Pontius,  nothing  can  be 
more  absolutely  the  reverse  of  what  it  ought  to  be." 

"  Nay,  stop  where  you  are,"  answered  Hadrian. 
"  We,  as  fellow-artists,  may  waive  ceremony. — What 
are  you  doing  in  there  ?" 

"  I  will  push  the  screen  back  in  a  moment  and 
show  you  our  Urania.  It  is  very  good  for  an  artist  to 
hear  the  opinion  of  a  man  who  thoroughly  understands 
the  thing." 

"  Presently,  friend — presently ;  first  let  me  enjoy  a 
scrap  of  bread,  for  the  severity  of  my  hunger  might 
very  possibly  influence  my  judgment." 

As  he  was  speaking  the  architect  offered  the  Em- 
peror a  salver  with  bread,  salt,  and  a  cup  of  wine,  which 
his  own  slave  had  carried  to  him.  When  Pollux  ob- 
served this  modest  meal,  he  called  out : 

"That  is  prisoners'  fare,  Pontius;  have  we  nothing 
better  in  the  house  than  that  ?" 

"  Possibly  you  yourself  assisted  in  demolishing  the 
dainty  dishes  I  had  sent  down  for  the  architect,"  cried 
Titianus,  pretending  to  threaten  him. 

"  You  are  defacing  a  fair  memory,"  sighed  the 
sculptor,  with  mock  melancholy.  "  But,  by  Hercules, 
I  did  my  fair  share  of  the  work  of  destruction.  If  only 
now — but  stay!      I  have  an  idea  worthyof  Aristotle 


152  THE    EMPEROR. 

himself!  that  breakfast,  to  whicli  I  invited  you  to- 
morrow morning,  most  noble  Fontius,  is  all  ready  at 
my  mother's,  and  can  be  warmed  up  in  a  few  minutes. 
Do  not  be  alarmed,  worthy  sir,  but  the  dish  in  question 
is  cabbage  with  sausages — a  mess  which,  like  the  soul 
of  an  Egyptian,  possesses  at  the  instant  of  resurrection, 
nobler  qualities  than  when  it  first  sees  the  Hght." 

"  Excellent,"  cried  Hadrian.  "  Cabbage  and  sau- 
sages !"  He  wiped  his  full  lips  with  his  hand,  smihng 
with  gratification,  and  he  broke  into  a  hearty  laugh  of 
amusement  as  he  heard  a  loud  "  Ah !"  of  satisfaction 
from  Antinous,  who  drew  nearer  to  the  canvas  screen. 
"  There  is  another  whose  mouth  waters  and  whose 
imagination  revels  in  a  happy  future,"  said  the  Emperor 
to  the  prefect,  pointing  to  his  favorite. 

But  he  had  misinterpreted  the  lad's  exclamation,  for 
it  was  the  mere  name  of  the  dish — which  his  mother 
had  often  set  on  the  table  of  his  humble  home  in  Bithy- 
nia — which  reminded  him  of  his  native  country  and  his 
childhood,  and  transplanted  him  in  thought  back  into 
their  midst.  It  was  a  swift  leap  at  his  heart,  and  not 
merely  the  pleasant  watering  of  his  gums,  that  had 
forced  the  "  Ah  "  to  his  lips.  Still,  he  was  glad  to  see 
his  native  dish  again,  and  would  not  have  exchanged  it 
against  the  richest  banquet.  Pollux  had  meanwhile 
come  out  of  his  nook,  and  said  : 

"  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  I  shall  set  before  you  the 
breakfast  which  has  been  turned  into  a  supper.  Miti- 
gate your  worst  hunger  with  some  bread  and  salt, 
and  then  my  mother's  cabbage-stew  will  not  only 
satisfy  you,  but  will  be  enjoyed  with  calm  appreci- 
ation." 

"  Greet  dame  Doris  from  me,"  Hadrian  called  after 


THE    EMPEROR.  1 53 

the  sculptor;  and  when  Pollux  had  quitted  the  hall  he 
turned  to  Titianus  and  Pontius  and  said : 

"  What  a  splendid  young  fellow.  I  am  curious  to 
see  what  he  can  do  as  an  artist." 

"  Then  follow  me,"  replied  Pontius,  leading  the 
way. 

"  What  do  you  say  to  this  Urania  ?  Papias  made 
the  head  of  the  Muse,  but  the  figure  and  the  drapery 
Pollux  formed  with  his  own  hand  in  a  few  days." 

The  imperial  artist  stood  in  front  of  the  statue,  with 
his  arms  crossed,  and  remained  there  for  some  time  in 
silence.  Then  he  nodded  his  bearded  head  approvingly, 
and  said  gravely : 

"  A  well-considered  work,  and  carried  out  with  re- 
markable freedom ;  this  mantle  drawn  over  the  bosom 
would  not  disgrace  a  Phidias.  All  is  broad,  character- 
istic and  true.  Did  the  young  artist  work  from  the 
model  here  at  Lochias  ?" 

"  I  have  seen  no  model,  and  I  believe  that  he 
evolved  the  whole  figure  out  of  his  head,"  replied 
Pontius. 

"  Impossible,  perfectly  impossible,"  cried  the  Em- 
peror, in  the  tone  of  a  man  who  knows  well  what  he  is 
talking  about.  "  Such  lines,  such  forms  not  Praxiteles 
himself  could  have  invented.  He  must  have  seen  them, 
have  formed  them  as  he  stood  face  to  face  with  the 
living  copy.  We  will  ask  him.  What  is  to  be  made 
out  of  that  newly-set-up  mass  of  clay  ?" 

"  Possibly  the  bust  of  some  princess  of  the  house  of 
the  Lagides.  To-morrow  you  shall  see  a  head  of 
Berenice  by  our  young  friend,  which  seems  to  me  to  be 
one  of  the  best  things  ever  done  in  Alexandria." 

"  And   is   the   lad   a   proficient  in  magic  ?"  asked 


154  THE     EMPEROR. 

Hadrian.  "  It  seems  to  me  simply  impossible  that  he 
should  have  completed  this  statue  and  a  woman's  bust 
in  these  few  days." 

Pontius  explained  to  the  Emperor  that  Pollux  had 
mounted  the  head  on  a  bust  already  to  hand,  and  as  he 
answered  his  questions  without  reserve,  he  revealed  to 
him  what  stupendous  exertions  of  the  arts  had  been 
called  into  requisition  to  give  the  dilapidated  palace  a 
suitable  and,  in  its  kind,  even  brilliant  appearance.  He 
frankly  confessed  that  here  he  was  working  only  for 
effect,  and  talked  to  Hadrian  exactly  as  he  would  have 
discussed  the  same  subject  with  any  other  fellow-artist. 

While  the  Emperor  and  the  architect  were  thus 
eagerly  conversing,  and  the  prefect  was  hearing  from 
Phlegon,  the  secretary,  all  the  experience  of  their  jour- 
ney, Pollux  reappeared  in  the  hall  of  the  Muses  accom- 
panied by  his  father.  The  singer  carried  before  him  a 
steaming  mess,  fresh  cakes  of  bread,  and  the  pasty 
which  a  few  hours  previously  he  had  carried  home  to  his 
wife  from  the  architect's  table.  Pollux  held  to  his 
breast  a  tolerably  large  two-handled  jar  full  of  Mareotic 
wine,  which  he  had  hastily  wreathed  with  branches  of 
ivy. 

A  lew  minutes  later  the  Emperor  was  reclining  on  a 
mattress  that  had  been  laid  for  him,  and  was  making 
his  way  valiantly  through  the  savory  mess.  He  was  in 
the  happiest  humor ;  he  called  Antinous  and  his  secre- 
tary, heaped  abundant  portions  with  his  own  hand  on 
their  plates,  which  he  bade  them  hold  out  to  him, 
declaring  as  he  did  so  that  it  was  to  prevent  their  fishing 
the  best  of  the  sausages  out  of  the  cabbage  for  them- 
selves.     He  also  spoke  highly  of  the  Mareotic  wine. 

When  they  came  to  opening  the  pasty  the  expression 


THE     EMPEROR.  1 55 

of  his  face  changed  ;  he  frowned  and  asked  the  prefect 
in  a  suspicious  tone,  severely  and  sternly  : 

"  How  came  these  people  by  such  a  pasty  as  this  ?" 

''  Where  did  you  get  it  from  ?"  asked  the  prefect  of 
the  singer. 

"  From  the  banquet  which  the  architect  gave  to  the 
artists  here,"  answered  Euphorion.  "The  bones  were 
given  to  the  Graces  and  this  dish,  which  had  not  been 
touched,  to  me  and  my  wife.  She  devoted  it  with 
pleasure  to  Pontius'  guest." 

Titianus  laughed  and  exclaimed : 

"This  then  accounts  for  the  total  disappearance  of 
the  handsome  supper  which  we  sent  down  to  the  archi- 
tect. This  pasty — allow  me  to  look  at  it — this  pasty 
was  prepared  by  a  recipe  obtained  from  Verus.  He 
invited  us  to  breakfast  yesterday  and  instructed  my  cook 
how  to  prepare  it." 

"No  Platonist  ever  propagated  his  master's  doctrines 
with  greater  zeal  than  Verus  does  the  merits  of  this 
dish,"  said  the  Emperor,  who  had  recovered  his  good 
humor  as  soon  as  he  perceived  that  no  artful  prepara- 
tion for  his  arrival  was  to  be  suspected  in  this  matter. 
"  What  follies  that  spoilt  child  of  fortune  can  com- 
mit! Does  he  still  insist  on  cooking  with  his  own 
hands  ?" 

"  No,  not  quite  that,"  replied  the  prefect.  "  But  he 
had  a  couch  placed  for  him  in  the  kitchen  on  which  he 
stretched  himself  at  full  length  and  told  my  cook  exactly 
how  to  prepare  the  pasty,  of  which  you  are — I  should 
say,  of  which  the  Emperor  is  particularly  fond.  It  con- 
sists of  pheasant,  ham,  cow's  udder  and  a  baked  crust." 

"  I  am  quite  of  Hadrian's  opinion,"  laughed  the 
Emperor,  doing  all  justice  to  the  excellent  pie,     •'  You 


156  THE    EMPEROR. 

entertain  me  splendidly  my  friend,  and  I  am  very  much 
your  debtor.  What  did  you  say  your  name  is  young 
man?" 

"  Pollux." 

"Your  Urania,  Pollux,  is  a  fine  piece  of  work,  and 
Pontius  says  you  executed  the  drapery  Avithout  a  model. 
I  said,  and  I  repeat,  that  it  is  simply  impossible." 

"You  judge  rightly,  a  young  girl  stood  for  it." 

The  Emperor  glanced  at  the  architect,  as  much  as 
to  say,  I  knew  it !     Pontius  asked  in  astonishment : 

"  When  ?  I  have  never  seen  a  female  form  within 
these  walls." 

"  Recently." 

"  But  I  have  never  quitted  Lochias  for  a  minute.  I 
have  never  gone  to  rest  before  midnight,  and  have  been 
on  my  legs  again  long  before  sunrise." 

"But  still  there  were  several  hours  between  your 
going  to  sleep,  and  waking  up  again,"  replied  Pollux. 

"  Ah,  youth — youth!"  exclaimed  the  Emperor,  and  a 
satirical  smile  played  upon  his  lips.  ■  "  Part  Damon  and 
Phyllis  by  iron  doors,  and  they  will  find  their  way  to 
each  other  through  the  key-hole." 

Euphorion  looked  seriously  at  his  son,  the  architect 
shook  his  head  and  refrained  from  further  questions,  but 
Hadrian  rose  from  his  couch,  dismissed  Antinous  and 
his  secretary  to  bed,  requested  Titianus  to  go  home  and 
to  give  his  wife  his  kindly  greetings,  and  then  desired 
Pollux  to  conduct  him  within  this  screen,  since  he  him- 
self was  not  tired  and  was  accustomed  to  do  with  only 
a  few  hours  sleep. 

The  young  sculptor  was  strongly  attracted  by  this 
commanding  personage.  It  had  not  escaped  him 
that  the  gray-bearded  stranger   greatly  resembled   the 


THE    EMPEROR.  157 

Emperor;  but  Pontius  had  prepared  him  for  the  Hke- 
ness,  and  in  fact  there  was  much  in  the  eyes  and  mouth 
of  the  Roman  architect  that  he  had  never  traced  in  any 
portrait  of  Hadrian  'Imperator.'  And  as  they  stood 
before  his  scarcely-finished  statue  his  respect  increased 
for  the  new  visitor  to  Lochias;  for,  with  earnest  frank- 
ness, he  pointed  out  to  him  certain  faults,  and  while 
praising  the  merits  of  the  rapidly-executed  figure  he 
explained  in  a  few  brief  and  pithy  phrases  his  own  con- 
ception of  the  ideal  Urania.  Then  shortly  but  clearly, 
he  stated  his  views  as  to  how  the  plastic  artist  must  deal 
with  the  problems  of  his  art. 

The  young  man's  heart  beat  faster,  and  more  than 
once  he  turned  hot  and  cold  by  turns  as  he  heard  things 
uttered  by  the  bearded  lips  of  this  imposing  man,  in  a 
rich  voice  and  in  lucid  phrases,  which  he  had  often 
divined  or  vaguely  felt,  but  for  which,  while  learnings 
observing,  and  working,  he  had  never  sought  expression 
in  words.  And  how  kindly  the  great  master  took  up 
his  timid  observations,  how  convincingly  he  answered 
them.  Such  a  man  as  this  he  had  never  met,  never 
had  he  bowed  with  such  full  consent  before  the  supe- 
riority and  sovereign  power  of  another  mind. 

The  second  hour  after  midnight  had  begun,  when 
Hadrian,  standing  before  the  rough-cast  clay  bust,  asked 
Pollux  : 

"  What  is  this  to  be  ?  " 

"  A  portrait  of  a  girl." 

"  Probably  of  the  complaisant  model  who  ventures 
into  Lochias  at  night  ?  " 

"  No ;  a  lady  of  rank  will  sit  to  me." 

'•  An  Alexandrian  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no.     A  beauty  in  the  train  of  the  Empress." 


158  ■  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  What  is  her  name  ?     I  know  all  the  Roman  ladies." 

"Balbilla." 

"  Balbilla  ?  There  are  many  of  that  name.  What 
is  she  like,  the  lady  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Hadrian,  with  a 
cunning  glance  of  amusement. 

"That  is  easier  to  ask  than  to  answer,"  replied  the 
artist,  who,  seeing  his  gray-bearded  companion  smile, 
recovered  his  gay  vivacity  "  But  stay — you  have  seen 
a  peacock  spread  its  tail — now  only  imagine  that  every 
€ye  in  the  train  of  Hera's  bird  was  a  graceful  round 
curl,  and  that  in  the  middle  of  the  circle  there  was  a 
charming,  intelligent  girl's  face,  with  a  merry  little  nose, 
and  a  rather  too  high  forehead,  and  you  will  have  the 
portrait  of  the  young  damsel  who  has  graciously  per- 
mitted me  to  model  from  her  person," 

Hadrian  laughed  heartily,  threw  off  his  cloak,  and 
exclaimed : 

"  Stand  aside — I  know  your  maiden — and  if  I  mean 
a  different  one  you  shall  tell  me." 

While  he  was  still  speaking  he  had  plunged  his 
powerful  hands  into  the  yielding  clay,  and  kneading 
and  pinching  like  a  practised  modeller,  wiping  off  and 
pressing  on,  he  formed  a  woman's  face  with  a  towering 
structure  of  curls,  which  resembled  Babilla,  but  which 
reproduced  every  conspicuous  peculiarity  with  such 
whimsical  exaggeration  that  Pollux  could  not  contain 
his  delight.  When  at  last  Hadrian  stepped  back  from 
the  happy  caricature  and  called  upon  him  to  say 
whether  that  were  not  indeed  the  Roman  lady,  Pollux 
exclaimed : 

"  It  is  as  surely  she,  as  you  are  not  merely  a  great 
architect,  but  an  admirable  sculptor.  The  thing  is 
coarse,  but  unmistakably  characteristic." 


THE    EMPEROR.  1 59 

The  Emperor  himself  seemed  to  enjoy  his  artistic 
joke  hugely,  for  he  looked  at  it,  and  laughed  again  and 
again.  Pontius,  however,  seemed  to  view  it  differently ; 
he  had  listened  with  eager  sympathy  to  the  conversa- 
tion between  Hadrian  and  the  sculptor,  and  had  watched 
the  former  as  he  began  his  work ;  but  as  it  went  on  he 
turned  away,  for  he  hated  that  distortion  of  fine  forms, 
which  he  often  found  that  the  Egyptians  took  a  special 
delight  in.  It  was  positively  painful  to  him  to  see  a 
graceful,  highly-gifted  and  defenceless  creature,  to  whom, 
too,  he  felt  himself  bound  by  ties  of  gratitude,  mocked 
at  in  this  way  by  such  a  man  as  Hadrian.  He  had 
only  to-day  met  Balbilla  for  the  first  time,  but  he  had 
heard  from  Titianus  that  she  was  staying  at  the  Caesar- 
eum  with  the  Empress,  and  the  prefect  had  also  told  him 
that  she  was  the  granddaughter  of  that  same  governor, 
Claudius  Balbillus,  who  had  granted  freedom  to  his  own 
grandfather,  a  learned  Greek  slave. 

He  had  met  her  with  grateful  sympathy  and  devotion; 
her  bright  and  lively  nature  had  delighted  him,  and  at 
each  thoughtless  word  she  uttered  he  would  have  liked 
to  give  her  some  warning  sign,  as  though  she  were  near 
to  him  through  some  tie  of  blood,  or  some  old  estab- 
lished friendship  that  might  warrant  his  right  to  do  so. 
The  defiant,  half  gallant  Avay  in  which  Verus,  the  dis- 
sipated lady-killer,  had  spoken  to  her  had  enraged  him 
and  filled  him  with  anxiety,  and  long  after  the  illustri- 
ous visitors  had  left  Lochias  he  had  thought  of  her  again 
and  again,  and  had  resolved,  if  it  were  possible,  to  keep 
a  watchful  eye  on  the  descendant  of  the  benefactor  of 
his  family.  He  felt  it  as  a  sacred  duty  to  shelter  and 
protect  her,  seeming  to  him  as  she  did,  an  airy,  pretty, 
defenceless  song-bird. 


l6o  THE    EMPEROR. 

The  Emperor's  caricature  had  the  same  effect  on  his 
feelings  as  though  some  one  had  insulted  and  scorned, 
before  his  eyes,  something  that  ouglit  to  be  regarded  as 
sacred.  And  there  stood  the  monarch,  a  man  no 
longer  young,  gazing  at  his  performance  and  never 
weary  of  the  amusement  it  afforded  him.  It  pained 
Pontius  keenly,  for  like  all  noble  natures,  he  could  not 
bear  to  discover  anything  mean  or  vulgar  in  a  man  to 
whom  he  had  always  looked  up  as  to  a  strong  excep- 
tional character.  As  an  artist  Hadrian  ought  not  to 
have  vilified  beauty,  as  a  man  he  ought  not  to  have  in- 
sulted unprotected  innocence. 

In  the  soul  of  the  architect,  who  had  hitherto  been 
one  of  the  Emperor's  warmest  admirers,  a  slight  aver- 
sion began  to  dawn,  and  he  was  glad,  when,  at  last, 
Hadrian  decided  to  withdraw  to  rest. 

The  Emperor  found  in  his  room  every  requisite  he 
was  accustomed  to  use,  and  while  his  slave  undressed 
him,  lighted  his  night-lamp  and  adjusted  his  pillows,  he 
said: 

"  This  is  the  best  evening  I  have  enjoyed  for  years — 
Is  Antinous  comfortably  in  bed  ?  " 

"  As  much  so  as  in  Rome." 

"  And  the  big  dog  ?  " 

"  I  will  lay  his  rug  in  the  passage  at  your  door." 

"  Has  he  had  any  food  ?" 

"  Bones,  bread  and  water." 

"  I  hope  you  have  had  something  to  eat  this  even- 
ing." 

"I  was  not  hungry,  and  there  was  plenty  of  bread 
and  wine." 

"  To-morrow  we  shall  be  better  supplied.  Now, 
good-night.     Weigh  your  words  for  fear  you  should  be- 


THE    KMPKROR.  l6l 

tray  me.  A  few  days  here  undisturbed  would  be  de- 
lightful !  " 

With  these  words  the  Emperor  turned  over  on  his 
couch  and  was  soon  asleep. 

Mastor,  too,  lay  down  to  rest  after  he  had  spread  a  rug 
for  the  dog  in  the  corridor  outside  the  Emperor's  sleep- 
ing-room. His  head  rested  on  a  curved  shield  of  stout 
cowhide  under  which  lay  his  short  sword ;  the  bed  was 
but  a  hard  one,  but  Mastor  had  for  years  been  used  to 
rest  on  nothing  better,  and  still  had  enjoyed  the  dream- 
less slumbers  of  a  child;  but  to-night  sleep  avoided 
him,  and  from  time  to  time  he  pressed  his  hand  on  his 
wearily  open  eyes  to  wipe  away  the  salt  dew  which  rose 
to  them  again  and  again.  For  a  long  time  he  had  re- 
strained these  tears  bravely  enough,  for  the  Emperor 
liked  to  see  none  but  cheerful  faces  among  his  servants; 
nay,  he  had  once  said  that  it  was  in  consequence  of  his 
bright  eyes  that  he  had  entrusted  to  him  the  care  of  his 
person.  Poor,  cheerful  Mastor!  He  was  nothing  but 
a  slave,  still  he  had  a  heart  which  lay  open  to  joy  and 
suffering,  to  pleasure  and  trouble,  to  hatred  and  to  love. 

In  his  childhood  his  native  village  had  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  foes  of  his  race.  He  and  his  brother  had 
been  carried  away  as  slaves,  first  into  Asia  Minor,  and 
then  as  they  Avere  both  particularly  pretty  fair-haired 
boys,  to  Rome.  There  they  had  been  bought  for  the 
Emperor;  Mastor  had  been  chosen  to  wait  on  Hadrian's 
person,  his  brother  had  been  put  to  work  in  the  gardens. 
Nothing  was  lacking  to  either  except  his  liberty;  nothing 
tormented  them  but  their  longing  for  their  native  home, 
and  even  this  altogether  faded  away  after  he  had  mar- 
ried the  pretty  little  daughter  of  a  superintendent  of  the 
gardens,   a   slave  like  himself.     She  was  a  lively  little 

The  Emperor.   I.  ji 


l62  THE     EMPEROR. 

woman  with  sparkling  eyes,  whom  no  one  could  pass 
by  without  noticing. 

The  slave's  duties  left  him  but  little  time  to  enjoy  the 
society  of  his  pretty  partner  and  of  the  two  children  she 
bore  him,  but  the  consciousness  of  possessing  them 
made  him  happy  wdien  he  followed  his  master  to  the 
chase,  or  in  the  journeys  through  the  empire.  Now,  for 
seven  months  he  had  heard  nothing  of  his  family ;  but 
a  short  letter  had  reached  him  at  Pelusium,  which  had 
been  sent  with  the  despatches  for  the  Emperor  from 
Ostia  to  Egypt.  He  could  not  read,  and  in  conse- 
quence of  the  Emperor's  rapid  travelling,  it  was  not  till 
he  reached  Lochias,  that  he  was  put  in  possession  of  its 
contents. 

Before  going  to  rest  Antinous  had  read  him  the  letter, 
which  had  been  written  for  his  brother  by  a  public 
scribe,  and  its  contents  were  enough  to  wreck  the  heart 
even  of  a  slave.  His  pretty  little  wife  had  fled  from 
her  home  and  from  the  Emperor's  service  to  follow  a 
Greek  ship's  captain  across  the  world ;  his  eldest  child, 
a  boy,  the  darling  of  his  heart,  was  dead;  and  his  fair- 
haired  tender  little  TulUa,  with  her  pearly  teeth,  her 
round  little  arms,  and  her  pretty  tiny  fingers  that  had 
often  tried  to  pull  his  close-cropped  hair,  and  had  fondly 
stroked  and  patted  it,  had  been  carried  off  to  the  miser- 
able refuge,  under  whose  squalid  roof  the  children  of 
deceased  slaves  were  reared.  Only  two  hours  since,  and 
in  fancy  he  had  possessed  a  home,  and  a  group  of 
human  beings,  whom  he  could  love.  Now,  this  was  all 
over  and  with  however  hard  a  hand  the  deepest  woes 
might  fall  on  him,  he  might  not  sob  or  groan  aloud,  or 
even  roll  from  side  to  side  as  again  and  again  he  was 
violently  prompted  to  do,  for  his  lord  slept  lightly  and 


THE    EMPEROR.  1 63 

the  least  noise  might  wake  him.  At  sunrise  he  must 
appear  before  the  Emperor  as  cheerful  as  usual,  and  yet 
he  felt  as  if  he  must  himself  perish  miserably  as  his  hap- 
piness had  done.  His  heart  was  bursting  with  anguish, 
still  he  neither  groaned  nor  stirred. 


CHAPTER    Xin. 

The  night  had  been  almost  as  sleepless  to  Keraunus' 
daughter  Selene  as  it  had  been  to  the  hapless  slave. 
Her  father's  vain  wish  to  let  Arsinoe  take  a  part  with 
the  daughters  of  the  wealthier  citizens  had  filled  the 
girl's  heart  with  fresh  terrors.  It  was  the  final  blow 
which  would  demolish  the  structure  of  their  social  ex- 
istence, standing  as  it  did  on  quaking  ground,  and  which 
must  fling  her  family  and  herself  into  disgrace  and  want. 
When  their  last  treasure  of  any  value  was  sold,  and  the 
creditors  could  no  longer  be  put  off,  particularly  during 
the  Emperor's  presence  in  the  city,  when  they  should  try 
to  sell  up  all  her  father's  little  property,  or  to  carry  him 
off  to  a  debtor's  prison,  was  it  not  then  as  good  as  cer- 
tain that  some  one  else  would  be  appointed  to  fill  his 
place,  and  that  she  and  the  other  children  would  fall 
into  misery  ?  And  there  lay  Arsinoe  by  her  side,  and 
slept  with  as  calm  and  deep  a  breath  as  blind  Helios 
and  the  other  little  ones. 

Before  going  to  bed  she  had  tried  with  all  the  fer- 
vency and  eloquence  of  which  she  was  mistress,  to  per- 
suade, entreat,  and  implore  the  heedless  girl  to  refuse  as 
postively  as  she  herself  had  refused  to  take  any  part  in 
the  processions ;  but  Arsinoe  had  at  first  repulsed  her 


164  THE    EMPEROR. 

crossly,  and  finally  had  defiantly  declared  that  means 
might  yet  very  likely  be  found,  and  that  what  her  father 
permitted,  Selene  had  no  right  to  interfere  in,  still  less  to 
forbid.  And  when  afterwards  she  saw  Arsinoe  sleeping 
so  calmly  by  her  side,  she  felt  as  if  she  would  like  to 
shake  her;  but  she  was  so  accustomed  to  bear  all  the 
troubles  of  the  family  alone,  and  to  be  unkindly  re- 
pelled by  her  sister  whenever  she  attempted  to  ad- 
monish herj  that  she  forbore. 

Arsinoe  had  a  good  and  tender  heart,  but  she  was 
young,  pretty,  and  vain.  With  affectionate  persuasion 
she  might  be  won  over  to  anything,  but  Selene,  when- 
ever  she  remonstrated  with  her,  made  her  feel  her 
superiority  over  herself,  acquired  from  her  care  of  the 
family  and  her  maternal  character.  Thus,  not  a  day 
passed  without  some  quarrelling  and  tears  between  these 
two  sisters  who  were  so  dissimilar,  and  yet,  both  so  well 
disposed.  Arsinoe  was  always  the  first  to  offer  her 
hand  for  a  reconciliation,  but  Selene  would  rarely  have 
a  kinder  answer  ready  to  her  affectionate  advances  than, 
"  Let  be,"  or  "  Oh  yes,  I  know  !"  and  their  outward  in- 
tercourse bore  an  aspect  of  coolness,  which  was  easily 
worked  up  to  an  outbreak  of  hostile  speeches.  Hun- 
dreds of  times  they  would  go  to  bed  without  wishing 
each  other  '  good-night,'  and  still  more  often  would 
they  avoid  any  morning  greeting  when  they  first  met  in 
the  day. 

Arsinoe  liked  talking,  but  in  Selene's  presence  she 
was  taciturn ;  there  were  few  things  in  which  Selene 
took  pleasure,  while  her  sister  delighted  in  every  thing 
which  can  charm  youth.  It  was  the  steward's  eldest 
daughter  who  attended  to  the  daily  needs  of  the  child- 
ren, their  food  and  clothes;    it   was  the  second  who 


THK    EMPEROR.  165 

superintended  their  games,  and  their  dolls.  The  eldest 
watched  and  taught  them  with  anxious  care,  detecting 
in  every  little  fault  the  germ  of  some  evil  tendency  in 
the  future,  while  the  other  enticed  them  into  follies,  it  is 
true,  but  opened  their  minds  to  joyous  impressions,  and 
attained  more  by  kisses  and  kind  words  than  Selene 
could  by  fault-finding.  The  children  would  call  Selene 
when  they  wanted  her,  but  would  fly  to  Arsinoe  as 
soon  as  they  saw  her.  Their  hearts  were  hers,  and 
Selene  felt  this  bitterly ;  it  seemed  to  her  to  be  unjust, 
for  she  saw  clearly  that  her  sister  could  reap,  from  mere 
frivolous  play  in  her  idle  hours,  a  sweeter  reward  than 
she  could  earn  by  the  anxiety,  trouble  and  exhausting 
toil,  in  which  she  often  spent  her  nights. 

But  children  are  not  unjust  in  this  way.  It  is  true 
that  they  keep  an  account  in  their  heart  and  not  in  their 
head.  Those  who  give  them  the  warmth  of  affection 
they  pay  back  most  honestly. 

On  this  particular  night  it  was  not,  it  is  certain, 
with  very  sisterly  feelings  that  Selene  looked  at  the  sleep- 
ing Arsinoe,  and  the  words  on  the  girl's  lips  as  she  had 
dropped  asleep,  had  sounded  very  unkind;  but,  never- 
theless, they  felt  warmly  towards  each  other,  and  any 
one  who  should  have  attempted  to  say  a  word  against  the 
one  in  the  presence  of  the  other  would  soon  have  found 
out  how  close  a  bond  held  together  these  two  hearts, 
dissimilar  as  they  were.  But  no  girl  of  nineteen  can 
pass  a  night  altogether  without  sleeping,  however  sadly 
she  may  turn  and  turn  over  and  over  again  in  her  bed. 
So  slumber  overmastered  Selene  every  now  and  then 
for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  each  time  she  dreamed  of 
her  sister. 

Once  she  saw  Arsinoe  dressed  out  like  a  queen,  fol- 


1 66  THE    EMPEROR. 

lowed  by  beggar  children  and  pelted  with  bad  words — 
then  she  saw  her  on  the  rotunda  below  the  balcony- 
romping  with  Pollux,  and  in  their  bold  sport  they  broke 
her  mother's  bust.  At  last  she  dreamed  that  she  her- 
self was  playing — as  in  the  days  of  her  childhood — in 
the  gate-keeper's  garden  with  the  sculptor.  They  were 
making  cakes  of  sand  together,  and  Arsinoe  jumped  on 
the  cakes  as  soon  as  they  were  made,  and  trod  them 
all  into  dust. 

The  pretty  pale  girl  had  for  a  long  time  ceased  to 
know  the  refreshing,  dreamless,  sound  sleep  of  youth, 
for  the  sweetest  slumbers  are  more  apt  to  seek  out  those 
who  by  day  have  some  rest,  than  those  who  are  worn 
out  by  fatigue,  and  evening  after  evening  Selene  was 
one  of  these.  Every  night  she  had  dreams,  but  to- 
night they  were  almost  exclusively  sad  in  character,  and 
so  terrifying  that  she  woke  herself  repeatedly  with  her 
own  groaning,  or  disturbed  Arsinoe's  peaceful  sleep  by 
loud  cries. 

These  cries  did  not  disturb  her  father,  he — to-night, 
as  every  night — had  begun  to  snore  soon  after  he  had 
gone  to  rest,  never  to  cease  till  it  was  time  to  rise  again. 

Selene  was  always  busy  in  the  house  before  any 
one,  even  before  the  slaves ;  and  the  approach  of  day 
this  time  seemed  to  the  sleepless  girl  a  real  release. 
When  she  rose  it  was  still  perfectly  dark,  but  she  knew 
that  the  rising  of  the  December  sun  could  not  be  long 
to  wait  for. 

Without  paying  any  heed  to  the  sleepers,  or  making 
any  special  effort  to  tread  noiselessly,  or  to  do  what  she 
had  to  do  without  disturbing  them,  she  lighted  her  little 
lamp,  at  the  night-lamp,  washed  herself,  arranged  her 
hair,  and  then  knocked  at  the  doors  of  the  old  slaves. 


THE    EMPEROR.  167 

As  soon  as  they  had  yawned  out  "  directly,"  or  a  sleepy 
"  very  well,"  she  went  into  her  father's  room  and  took 
his  jug  to  fetch  him  fresh  water  in  it.  The  best  well  in 
the  palace  was  on  a  small  terrace  on  the  west  side;  it 
was  supplied  by  the  cfty  aqueducts,  and  was  constructed 
of  five  marble  monsters,  bearing  up  on  twisted  fish- 
tails a  huge  shell,  in  which  sat  a  bearded  river-god. 
Their  horse-shaped  heads  poured  water  into  a  vast  basin, 
which,  in  the  lapse  of  centuries,  had  grown  full  of  a 
green  and  filmy  vegetation. 

In  order  to  reach  this  fountain,  Selene  had  to  go 
along  the  corridor  where  lay  the  rooms  occupied  by  the 
Emperor  and  his  followers.  She  only  kilew  that  an 
architect  from  Rome  had  taken  up  his  quarters  at  Lo- 
chias, for,  some  time  after  midnight,  she  had  been  to  get 
out  meat  and  salt  for  him,  but  in  what  rooms  the 
strangers  had  been  lodged  no  one  had  told  her.  But 
this  morning  as  she  followed  the  path  she  was  accustomed 
to  tread  day  by  day  at  the  same  hour,  she  felt  an  anx- 
ious shiver.  She  felt  as  if  everything  were  not  quite  the 
same  as  usual,  and  just  as  she  had  set  her  foot  on  the 
top  step  of  the  flight  leading  to  the  corridor,  she  raised 
her  lamp  to  discover  whence  came  the  sound  she 
thought  she  could  hear,  she  perceived  in  the  gloom  a 
fearful  something,  which  as  she  approached  it  resem- 
bled a  dog,  and  which  was  larger — much  larger — than 
a  dog  should  be. 

Her  blood  ran  cold  with  terror ;  for  a  few  moments 
she  stood  as  if  spellbound,  and  was  only  conscious  that 
the  growling  and  snarling  that  she  heard  meant  mischief 
and  threatening  to  herself.  At  last  she  found  strength 
to  turn  to  fly,  but  at  the  same  instant  a  loud  and  furious 
bark  echoed  behind  her  and  she  heard  the  monster's 


1 68  THK    EMPEROR, 

quick  leaps  as  he  flew  after  her  along  the  stone  pave- 
ment. 

She  felt  a  violent  shock,  the  pitcher  flew  out  of  her 
hand  and  was  shattered  into  a  thousand  fragments,  and 
she  sank  to  the  ground  under  tl?e  weight  of  a  warm, 
rough,  heavy  mass.  Her  loud  cries  of  alarm  resounded 
from  the  hard  bare  walls,  and  roused  the  sleepers  and 
brought  them  to  her  side. 

"  See  what  it  is,"  cried  Hadrian  to  his  slave,  who 
had  immediately  sprung, up  and  seized  his  shield  and 
sword. 

"The   dog   has   attacked  a  woman  who  wanted  to 
come  this  way,"  replied  Mastor. 

"  Hold  him  off,  but  do  not  beat  him,"  the  Emperor 
shouted  after  him.     "  Argus  has  only  done  his  duty." 

The  slave  hastened  down  the  passage  as  fast  as  pos- 
sible, loudly  calling  the  dog  by  his  name.  But  another 
had  been  beforehand  and  had  dragged  him  off  his  vic- 
tim, and  this  was  Antinous,  whose  room  was  close  to 
the  scene  of  action,  and  who,  as  soon  as  he  had  heard 
the  dog's  bark  and  Selene's  scream,  had  hurried  to  hold 
back  the  brute  which  v/as  really  dangerous  when  on 
guard  and  in  the  dark. 

When  Mastor  appeared  the  lad  had  just  succeeded 
in  dragging  tlie  dog  away  from  Selene,  who  was  lying 
on  the  stairs  leading  to  the  corridor.  Before  Antinous 
could  reach  her  Argus  was  standing  over  her  gnashing 
his  teeth  and  growling.  Argus,  who  was  quickly  quieted 
by  his  friends'  tone  of  kindly  admonition,  stood  aside 
silent  and  with  his  head  down,  while  Antinous  knelt  by 
the  senseless  girl  on  whom  the  pale  light  of  early  dawn 
fell  through  a  wide  window.  I'he  boy  looked  witli 
alarm  on  her  pale  face,  lifted  her  helpless  arm,  and 


THE     EMPEROR.  169 

sought  on  her  light-colored  dress  for  any  trace  of  blood 
that  might  have  been  drawn,  but  in  vain.  After  he 
had  assured  himself  that  she  still  breathed,  and  that  her 
lips  moved,  he  called  to  Mastor : 

"  Argus  seems  only  to  have  pulled  her  down,  not  to 
have  wounded  her ;  she  has  lost  consciousness  however. 
Go  quickly  into  my  room  and  bring  me  the  blue  phial 
out  of  my  medicine-case  and  a  cup  of  water," 

The  slave  whistled  to  the  hound  and  obeyed  the 
order  as  quickly  as  possible. 

Meanwhile  Antinous  remained  on  his  knees  by  the 
senseless  girl,  and  ventured  to  raise  her  head  with  its 
long  soft  weight  of  hair.  How  beautiful  were  those 
marble- white,  and  nobly-cut  features  !  How  touching  did 
the  silent  accent  of  pain  that  lay  on  her  lips  seem  to 
him,  and  how  happy  was  the  spoilt  darling  of  the  Em- 
peror, who  was  loved  by  all  who  saw  him,  to  be  able  to 
be  tender  and  helpful,  unasked  ! 

"  Wake  up,  oh  !  wake  up!"  he  cried  to  Selene — and 
when  still  she  did  not  move,  he  repeated  more  urgently 
and  tenderly,  "  Pray,  pray  wake  up." 

But  she  did  not  hear  him,  and  remained  jnotionless 
even  when,  with  a  slight  blush,  he  drew  over  her 
shoulder  her  peplum,  which  the  dog  had  torn  away. 
Now  Mastor  returned  with  the  water  and  the  blue 
phial,  and  gave  them  to  the  Bithynian.  While  Antinous 
laid  the  girl's  head  in  his  lap,  the  slave  was  hurrying 
away,  saying :  "  Caesar  called  me." 

The  lad  moistened  Selene's  forehead  with  the  revi- 
ving fluid,  made  her  inhale  the  strong  essence  which  the 
phial  contained,  and  cried  again  loud  and  earnestly, 
'•  Wake,  wake.'" — And  presently  her  lips  parted,  show- 
ing her  small,  white  teeth,  and  then  she  slowly  raised 


170  THE    EMPEROR. 

the  lids  which  had  veiled  her  eyes.  With  a  deep  sigh 
of  relief  he  set  the  cup  and  the  phial  on  the  ground  so 
as  to  support  her  when  she  slowly  began  to  raise  her- 
self; but,  scarcely  had  he  turned  his  face  towards  her, 
when  she  sprang  up  suddenly  and  violently,  and  fling- 
ing both  her  arms  round  his  neck,  cried  out : 

"  Save  me,  Pollux,  save  me !  The  monster  is  de- 
vouring me."  Antinous  much  startled,  seized  the  girl's 
arms  to  release  himself  from  their  embrace,  but,  she  had 
already  freed  him  and  sunk  back  on  to  the  ground. 
The  next  moment  she  was  shivering  violently  as  if  from 
an  attack  of  fever;  again  she  threw  up  her  hands, 
pressed  them  to  her  temples,  and  gazed  with  terror  and 
bewilderment  into  the  face  that  bent  above  her. 

"  What  is  it  ?  Who  are  you  ?"  she  asked,  in  a  low 
voice. 

He  rose  quickly,  and  while  he  supported  her  as  she 
attempted  to  rise  and  stand  upon  her  feet,  he  said : 

"  The  gods  be  praised  that  you  are  still  alive.  Our 
big  hound  threw  you  down — and  he  has  terrible  teeth." 

Selene  was  now  standing  up,  and  face  to  face  with 
the  boy  at-whose  last  words  she  shuddered  again. 

"  Do  you  feel  any  pain  ?"  asked  Antinous,  anx- 
iously. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  dully. 

"  Did  he  bite  you  ?" 

*'  I  think  not — pick  up  that  pin,  it  has  fallen  out  of 
my  dress." 

The  Bithynian  obeyed  her  behest,  and  .while  the 
girl  re-fastened  her  peplum  over  her  shoulders  she 
asked  him  again  : 

"  Who  are  you  ?  How  came  the  dog  in  our 
palace  ?" 


THE    EMPEROR.  171 

**  He  belongs — he  belongs  to  us.  We  arrived  late 
last  night,  and  Pontius  put  us " 

"  Then  you  are  with  the  architect  from  Rome  ?" 

"  Yes,  but  who  are  you  ?" 

"  Selene  is  my  name,  I  am  the  daughter  of  the 
palace-steward." 

"  And  who  is  Pollux,  whom  you  were  calling  to  help 
you  when  you  recovered  your  senses  ?" 

"  What  does  that  matter  to  you  ?" 

Antinous  colored,  and  answered  in  confusion : 

"  I  was  startled  when  you  suddenly  roused  up,  with 
his  name  so  loudly  on  your  lips,  when  I  brought  you 
back  to  life  with  water  and  this  essence." 

"Well,  I  was  roused — and  now  I  can  walk  again. 
People  who  bring  furious  dogs  into  a  strange  place, 
should  know  how  to  take  better  care  of  them.  Tie  the 
dog  up  safely,  for  the  children — my  little  brothers  and 
sisters — come  this  way  when  they  want  to  go  out. 
Thank  you  for  your  help — and  my  pitcher  ?" 

As  she  spoke  she  looked  down  on  the  remains  of  the 
pretty  jar,  which  was  one  her  mother  had  particularly 
valued.  When  she  saw  the  fragments  lying  on  the 
ground,  she  gave  a  deep  sob,  but  she  shed  no  tears. 
Then  she  exclaimed  angrily  :     "  Tt  is  infamous  !" 

With  these  words  she  turned  her  back  on  Antinous 
and  returned  to  her  father's  room,  using  her  left  foot, 
however,  with  caution,  for  it  was  very  painful. 

The  young  Bithynian  gazed  in  silence  at  Selene's 
tall,  slight  form,  he  felt  prompted  to  follow  her,  to  say 
to  her  how  very  sorry  he  was  for  the  mischance  that  had 
befallen  her,  and  that  the  hound  belonged  not  to  him 
but  to  another  man;  but  he  dared  not.  Long  after 
she  had  disappeared  from  sight  he  stood  on  the  same 


172  THE    EMPEROR. 

spot.  At  last  he  collected  his  senses,  and  slowly  went 
back  to  his  room,  where  he  sat  on  his  couch  with  his 
eyes  fixed  dreamily  on  the  ground,  till  the  Emperor's 
call  roused  him  from  his  reverie. 

Selene  had  hardly  vouchsafed  Antinous  a  glance. 
She  was  in  pain  not  merely  in  her  left  foot,  but  also  in 
the  back  of  her  head  where  she  found  there  was  a  deep 
cut ;  but  her  thick  hair  had  staunched  the  blood  that 
flowed  from  the  wound.  She  felt  very  tired,  and  the  loss 
of  her  pretty  jug,  which  must  also  be  replaced  by  an- 
other, vexed  her  far  more  than  the  beauty  of  the 
favorite  had  charmed  her. 

She  slowly  and  wearily  entered  the  sitting-room, 
where  her  father  was  by  this  time  waiting  for  her  and 
his  water.  He  was  accustomed  to  have  it  regularly  at 
the  same  hour,  and  as  Selene  was  absent  longer  than 
usual,  he  could  think  of  no  better  way  of  filling  up  the 
time  than  by  grumbling  and  scolding  to  himself;  when, 
at  last,  his  daughter  appeared  on  the  threshold,  he  at 
once  perceived  that  she  had  no  jug,  and  said  crossly : 

"  And  am  I  to  have  no  water  to-day  ?  " 

Selene  shook  her  head,  sank  into  a  seat,  and  be- 
gan to  cry  softly. 

"  What  is  the  matter?  "  asked  her  father. 

"  The  pitcher  is  broken,"  she  said  sadly. 

"  You  should  take  better  care  of  such  expensive 
things,"  scolded  her  father.  "You  are  always  com- 
plaining of  want  of  money,  and  at  the  same  time  you 
break  half  our  belongings." 

"  I  was  thrown  down,"  answered  Selene,  drying  her 
eyes. 

"  Thrown  down !  by  whom  ?  "  asked  the  steward, 
slowly  rising. 


THE    EMPEROR.  1 73 

"  By  the  architect's  big  dog — the  architect  who  came 
last  night  from  Rome,  and  to  whom  we  gave  that  meat 
and  salt  in  the  middle  of  the  night.  He  slept  here,  at 
Lochias." 

"  And  he  set  his  dog  on  my  child  !  "  shouted  Ke- 
raunus,  with  an  angry  glare. 

"  The  hound  was  alone  in  the  passage  when  I  went 
there." 

"  Did  it  bite  you  ?  " 

"  No,  but  it  pulled  me  down,  and  stood  over  me, 
and  gnashed  its  teeth — oh  !  it  was  horrible." 

"  The  cursed,  vagabond  scoundrel ! "  growled  the 
steward,  "  I  will  teach  him  how  to  behave  in  a  strange 
house !  " 

"Let  him  be,"  said  Selene,  as  she  saw  her  father 
about  to  don  the  saffron  cloak. 

"  What  is  done  cannot  be  undone,  and  if  quarrels 
and  dissentions  come  of  it,  it  will  make  you  ill." 

"  Vagabonds  !  impudent  rascals !  who  fill  my  palace 
with  quarrelsome  curs,"  muttered  Keraunus  without 
listening  to  his  daughter,  and  as  he  .settled  the  folds  of  his 
pallium  he  growled  "  Arsinoe  !  why  is  it  that  girl  never 
hears  me." 

When  she  appeared  he  desired  her  to  heat  the  irons 
to  curl  his  hair. 

"  They  are  ready  by  the  fire,"  answered  Arsinoe. 
"  Come  into  the  kitchen  with  me." 

Keraunus  followed  her,  and  had  his  locks  curled 
and  scented,  while  his  younger  children  stood  round 
him  waiting  for  the  porridge  which  Selene  usually  pre- 
pared for  them  at  this  hour. 

Keraunus  responded  to  their  morning  greetings  with 
nods  as  friendly  as  Arsinoe's  tongs,  which  held  his  head 


174  THE     EMPEROR. 

tightly  by  the  liair,  would  allow.  It  was  only  the  blind 
Helios,  a  pretty  boy  of  six,  that  he  drew  to  his  side 
and  gave  a  kiss  on  his  cheek.  He  loved  this  child, 
who,  though  deprived  of  the  noblest  of  the  senses, 
was  always  merry  and  contented,  with  peculiar  tender- 
ness. Once  he  even  laughed  aloud  when  the  child 
clung  to  his  sister,  as  she  brandished  the  tongs,  and  said : 

"  Father,  do  you  know  why  I  am  sorry  I  cannot 
see  ?  " 

"Well?"  said  his  father. 

"  Because  I  should  so  like  to  see  you  for  once  with 
the  beautiful  curls  which  Arsinoe  makes  with  the  irons." 

But  the  steward's  mirth  was  checked  when  his 
daughter,  pausing  in  her  labors,  said  half  in  jest,  but 
half  in  earnest : 

"  Have  you  thought  any  more  about  the  Emperor's 
arrival,  father?  I  smarten  and  dress  you  so  fine  every 
day — but  to-day  you  ought  to  think  of  dressing  me." 

"  We  will  see  about  it,"  said  Keraunus  evasively. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  Arsinoe,  after  a  short  pause, 
as  she  twisted  the  last  lock  in  the  freshly-heated  tongs, 
**  I  thought  it  all  over  last  night  again.  If  we  cannot 
succeed  any  way  in  scraping  together  the  money  for 
my  dress,  we  can  still " 

"  Well  ?  " 

"  Even  Selene  can  say  nothing  against  it." 

**  Against  what  ?  " 

"  But,  you  will  be  angry  !  " 

"  Speak  out." 

"  You  pay  taxes  like  the  rest  of  the  citizens." 

"  What  has  that  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  Well  then,  we  are  justified  in  expecting  something 
from  the  city." 


THE     EMPEROR.  175 

"  What  for  ?  " 

"  To  pay  for  my  dress  for  the  festival  which  is  got 
up  for  the  Emperor,  not  by  an  individual,  but  by  the 
citizens  as  a  body.  We  could  not  accept  alone,  but  it 
is  folly  to  refuse  what  a  rich  municipality  offers.  That 
is  neither  more  nor  less  than  making  them  a  present." 

"  You  be  silent,"  cried  Keraunus,  really  furious,  and 
trying  in  vain  to  remember  the  argument  with  which, 
only  yesterday,  he  liad  refused  the  same  suggestion. 
*'  Be  silent,  and  wait  till  I  begin  to  talk  about  such  mat- 
ters." 

Arsinoe  flung  the  tongs  on  the  hearth  with  so  much 
annoyance  that  they  fell  on  the  stone  with  a  loud  clat- 
ler;  but  her  father  quitted  the  kitchen  and  returned  to 
the  sitting-room.  There  he  found  Selene  lying  on  a 
couch,  and  the  old 'slave- woman,  who  had  tied  a  wet 
handkerchief  round  the  girl's  head,  pressing  another  to 
her  bare  left  foot. 

"  Wounded !  "  cried  Keraunus,  and  his  eyes  rolled 
slowly  from  right  to  left  and  from  left  to  right. 

"  Look  at  the  swelling !  "  cried  the  old  woman  in 
broken  Greek,  raising  Selene's  snow-white  foot  in  her 
black  hands  for  her  father  to  see.  "  Thousands  of  fine 
ladies  have  hands  that  are  not  so  small.  Poor,  poor 
little  foot,"  and  as  she  spoke  the  old  woman  pressed  it 
to  her  lips. 

Selene  pushed  her  aside,  and  said,  turning  to  her 
father : 

"The  cut  on  my  head  is  nothing  to  speak  of,  but 
the  muscles  and  veins  here  at  the  ancle  are  swelled  and 
my  leg  hurts  me  rather  when  I  tread.  When  the  dog 
threw  me  down  I  must  have  hit  it  against  the  stone 
step." 


176  THK    EMPEROK. 

"  It  is  outrageous !"  cried  Keraunus,  the  blood  again 
mounting  to  his  head,  "  only  wait  and  I  will  show 
them  what  I  think  of  their  goings  on." 

"  No,  no,"  entreated  Selene,  "  only  beg  them 
politely  to  shut  up  the  dog,  or  to  chain  it,  so  that  it  may 
not  hurt  the  children." 

Her  voice  trembled  with  anxiety  as  she  spoke  the 
words,  for  the  dread,  which,  she  knew  not  why,  had  so 
long  been  tormenting  her  lest  her  father  should  lose  his 
place,  seemed  to  affect  her  more  than  ever  to-day. 

"  What !  civil  words  after  what  has  now  happened  ?" 
cried  Keraunus  indignantly,  and  as  if  something  quite 
unheard  of  had  been  suggested  to  him. 

"  Nay,  nay,  say  what  you  mean,"  shrieked  the  old 
woman.  "  If  such  a  thing  had  occurred  to  your  father 
he  would  have  fallen  on  the  strange  builder  with  a  good 
thrashing." 

"  And  his  son  Keraunus  will  not  let  him  off,"  de- 
clared the  steward,  quitting  the  room  without  heeding 
Selene's  entreaty  not  to  let  himself  be  provoked. 

In  the  ante-chamber  he  found  his  old  slave  whom 
he  ordered  to  take  a  stick  and  go  before  him  to  an- 
nounce him  to  Pontius'  guest,  the  architect,  who  was 
lodging  in  the  rooms  in  the  wing  near  the  fountain. 
This  was  the  elegant  thing  to  do,  and  by  this  means 
the  black  slave  would  meet  the  big  dog  before  his 
master  who  held  him  and  all  dogs  in  the  utmost  abhor- 
rence. As  he  approached  his  destination  he  found  him- 
self quite  in  the  humor  to  speak  his  mind  to  the 
stranger  who  had  come  here  with  a  ferocious  hound  to 
tear  the  members  of  his  family. 


THE    EMPEROR.  177 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Hadrian  had  slept  most  comfortably ;  only  a  few 
hours  it  is  true,  but  they  had  sufficed  to  refresh  his 
spirit.  He  was  now  in  his  sitting-room  and  had  gone 
to  the  window,  which  took  up  more  than  half  the  ex- 
tent of  the  long  west  wall  of  the  room,  and  opened  on 
the  sea.  The  wide  opening,  which  extended  down- 
wards to  within  a  few  spans  of  the  floor,  was  finished  at 
either  side  by  a  tall  pillar  of  fine  reddish-brown  por- 
phyry, flecked  with  white,  and  crowned  with  gilt  Corin- 
thian capitals. 

Against  one  of  these  the  Emperor  was  leaning 
stroking  the  blood-hound,  whose  prompt  and  vigorous 
watchfulness  had  pleased  him  greatly.  What  did  he 
care  for  the  terrors  the  dog  might  have  caused  a  mere 
girl  ? 

By  the  other  pillar  stood  Antinous  ;  he  had  placed 
his  right  foot  on  the  low  window-sill,  and  with  his  chin 
resting  on  his  hand  and  his  elbow  on  his  knee,  his 
figure  was  well  within  the  room. 

"This,  Pontius,  is  really  a  first-rate  man,"  said 
Hadrian,  pointing  to  a  tapestry  hanging  across  the 
narrow  end  of  the  room.  "  This  hanging  was  copied 
from  a  fruit-piece  that  I  painted  some  time  since,  and 
had  executed  here  in  mosaic.  Yesterday  this  room  was 
not  even  intended  for  my  use,  thus  the  hanging  must 
have  been  put  up  between  our  arrival  and  this  morning. 
And  how  many  other  beautiful  things  I  see  around  me ! 
The  whole  place  looks  habitable,  and  the  eye  finds  an 

The  Emperor.  I.  la 


178  THE    EMPEROR. 

abundance  of  objects  on  which  it  can  rest  with 
pleasure." 

"  Have  you  examined  that  magnificent  cushion  ?" 
asked  Antinous ;  "  and  the  bronze  figures,  there  in  the 
corner,  look  to  me  far  from  bad." 

"  They  are  admirable  works,"  said  Hadrian.  "  Still, 
I  would  do  without  them  with  pleasure  rather  than 
miss  this  window.  Which  is  the  bluer,  the  sky  or  the 
sea  ?  And  what  a  delicious  spring  breeze  fans  us  here, 
in  the  middle  of  December.  Which  are  the  more  de- 
lightful to  contemplate,  the  innumerable  ships  in  the 
harbor,  which  communicate  between  this  flowery  land 
and  other  countries,  and  bless  it  with  wealth,  or  the 
buildings  which  attract  the  eye  in  whichever  direction  it 
turns.  It  is  difficult  to  know  whether  most  to  admire 
their  stately  dimensions  or  the  beauty  of  their  forms," 

"  And  what  is  that  long,  huge  dyke,  which  connects 
the  island  with  the  mainland  ?  Only  look !  There  is  a 
huge  trireme  passing  under  one  of  the  wide  arches,  on 
which  it  is  supported — and  there  comes  another." 

"That  is  the  great  viaduct,  called  by  the  Alexan- 
drians the  Heptastadion,  because  it  is  said  to  be  seven 
stadia  in  length  ;  and  in  the  upper  portion  it  carries  a. 
stone  water-course — as  an  elder  tree  has  in  it  a  vein  of 
pith — which  supplies  water  to  the  island  of  Pharos." 

"  What  a  pity  it  is,"  said  Antinous,  "  that  we  cannot 
overlook  from  here  the  whole  of  the  structure  with  the 
men  and  the  vehicles  that  swarm  upon  it  like  busy  ants. 
That  little  island  and  the  narrow  tongue  of  land  that 
runs  out  into  the  harbor  with  the  tall  slender  building  at 
the  end  of  it,  half  hide  it." 

"  But  they  serve  to  vary  the  picture,"  replied  the 
Emperor.     *'  Cleopatra  often  dwelt  in  the  little  castle 


THE    EMPEROR.  179 

on  the  island  with  its  harbor,  and  in  that  tall  tower  on 
the  northern  side  of  the  peninsula,  round  which,  just 
now,  the  blue  waves  are  playing,  while  the  gulls  and 
pigeons  fly  happily  over  it — there  Antony  retreated  after 
the  fight  of  Actium." 

"To  forget  his  disgrace!"  exclaimed  Antinous. 

"He  named  it  his  Timonareum,  because  he  hoped 
there  to  remain  unmolested  by  other  human  beings,  like 
the  wise  misanthrope  of  Athens.  How  would  it  be  if  I 
called  Lochias  my  Timonareum  ?" 

"  No  man  need  try  to  hide  fame  and  greatness." 

"Who  told  you  that  it  was  shame  that  led  Antony 
to  hide  himself  in  that  place?"  asked  the  imperial 
sophist;  "he  proved  often  enough,  at  the  head  of  his 
cavalry,  that  he  was  a  brave  soldier;  and  though  at 
Actium,  when  all  was  still  going  well,  he  let  his  ship  be 
turned,  it  was  out  of  no  fear  of  swords  and  spears,  but 
because  Fate  compelled  him  to  subjugate  his  strong 
will  to  the  wishes  of  a  woman  with  whose  destiny  his 
was  linked." 

"Then  do  you  excuse  his  conduct?" 

"I  only  seek  to  account  for  it,  and  never,  for  a 
moment,  could  allow  myself  to  believe  that  shame  ever 
prompted  a  single  act  in  Antony.  I — do  you  suppose 
I  could  ever  blush?  Nay,  we  cease  to  feel  shame 
when  we  have  lived  to  feel  such  profound  contempt  for 
the  world." 

"But  why  then  should  Marc  Antony  have  shut 
himself  up,  in  yonder  sea-washed  prison?" 

"Because,  to  every  true  man,  who  has  dissipated 
whole  years  of  his  life  with  women,  jesters  and  flatterers, 
a  moment  comes  of  satiety  and  loathing.  In  such  an 
hour  he  feels  that  of  all  the  men   under  the  lights  of 


l8o  THE    EMPEROR. 

heaven,  he,  himself,  is  the  only  one  with  whom  it  is 
worth  his  while  to  commune.  After  Actium,  this  was 
what  Antony  felt,  and  he  quitted  the  society  of  men  in 
order  to  find  himself  for  once  in  good  company." 

"  It  is  that,  no  doubt,  which  drives  you  now  and 
again  into  solitude." 

"  No  doubt — but  you  are  always  allowed  to  follow 
me." 

"  Then  you  regard  me  as  better  than  others,"  ex- 
claimed Antinous  joyfully. 

"  As  more  beautiful  at  any  rate,"  rephed  Hadrian 
kindly.     "  Ask  me  some  more  questions." 

But  Antinous  needed  a  few  minutes  pause  before 
he  could  comply  with  this  desire.  At  last  he  recollected 
himself  and  proceeded  to  inquire  why  most  of  the  vessels 
were  moored  in  the  harbor  beyond  the  Heptastadion, 
known  as  Eunostus,  The  entrance  there  was  less  dan- 
gerous than  that  between  the  Pharos  and  the  point  of 
Lochias  which  led  into  the  eastern  landing-places.  And 
then  Hadrian  could  give  him  information  as  to  every 
building  in  the  city  about  which  his  companion  evinced 
any  curiosity.  But  when  the  Emperor  had  pointed  out 
the  Soma,  under  which  rested  the  remains  of  Alexander 
the  Great,  he  became  thoughtful,  and  .said,  as  if  to 
himself: 

"The  Great — We  may  well  envy  the  young  Mace- 
donian ;  not  the  mere  name  of  Great,  for  many  of  small 
worth  have  had  it  bestowed  on  them,  but  because  he 
really  earned  it !  " 

There  was  not  a  question  put  by  the  handsome 
Bithynian  that  Hadrian  could  not  answer;  Antinous 
followed  all  his  explanations  with  growing  astonish- 
ment, exclaiming  at  last : 


THE     EMPEROR.  l8l 

"  How  perfectly  well  you  know  this  place — and  yet 
you  never  were  here  before." 

"  It  is  one  of  the  greatest  pleasures  of  travelling," 
replied  Hadrian,  "  that  on  our  journeys  we  come  to 
know  many  things  in  their  actuaHty  of  which  Ave  have 
formed  an  idea  from  books  and  narratives.  This  re- 
quires us  to  compare  the  reality  with  the  pictures  in  our 
own  minds,  seen  with  the  inward  eye,  before  we  saw  the 
reality.  It  is  to  me  a  far  smaller  pleasure  to  be  surprised 
by  something  new  and  unexpected  than  to  make  myself 
more  closely  acquainted  with  something  I  know  already 
sufficiently  to  deem  it  worthy  to  be  known  better.  Do 
you  understand  what  I  mean  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure  I  do.  We  hear  of  a  thing,  and  when 
we  afterwards  see  it  we  ask  ourselves  whether  we  have 
conceived  of  it  rightly.  But  I  always  picture  people  or 
places  which  I  hear  much  praised,  as  much  more  beauti- 
ful than  I  ever  find  the  reality." 

"  The  balance  of  difference,  which  is  to  the  disad- 
vantage of  reality,"  answered  Hadrian,  "  stands  not  so 
much  to  its  discredit,-  as  to  the  credit  of  the  eager  and 
beautifying  power  of  your  youthful  imagination,  I — 
I — "  and  the  Emperor  stroked  his  beard  and  gazed  out 
into  the  distance.  "  I  leani  by  experience  that  the  older 
I  grow,  the  more  often  I  find  it  possible  so  to  imagine 
men,  places,  and  things  that  I  have  not  seen  as  that 
when  I  meet  them  in  real  life  for  the  first  time,  I  feel 
justified  in  fancying  that  I  have  known  them  long  since, 
visited  them,  and  beheld  them  with  my  bodily  eyeg. 
Here,  for  instance,  I  feel  as  if  I  saw  nothing  new,  but 
only  gazed  once  more  at  what  has  long  been  familiar. 
But  that  is  no  wonder,  for  I  know  my  Strabo,  and  have 
heard  and  read  a  hundred  accounts  of  this  city.     Still 


152  THE    EMPEROR. 

there  are  many  things  which  are  quite  strange  to  me, 
and  yet  as  they  come  before  me  make  me  feel  as  if  I 
had  seen  or  known  them  long  ago." 

"  I  have  felt  something  like  that,"  said  Antinous. 
"Can  our  souls  have  ever  lived  in  other  bodies,  and 
sometimes  recall  the  impressions  made  in  that  former 
existence  ?  "  Favorinus  once  told  me  that  some  great 
philosopher,  Plato,  I  think,  asserts  that  before  we  are 
born  our  souls  are  wafted  about  in  the  firmament  that 
they  may  contemplate  the  earth  on  which  they  are  des- 
tined subsequently  to  dwell.      Favorinus  says  too " 

"  Favorinus  !  "  cried  Hadrian,  evasively.  "  That 
graceful  elocutionist  has  plenty  of  skill  in  giving  new 
and  captivating  forms  to  the  thoughts  of  the  great 
philosophers ;  but  he  has  not  been  able  to  surprise  the 
secret  of  his  own  soul — besides,  he  talks  too  much,  and 
he  cannot  dispense  with  the  excitement  of  life." 

"  Still  you  have  recognized  the  phenomenon,  but 
you  disapprove  of  Favorinus'  explanation  of  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  for  I  have  met  men  and  things  as  old  ac- 
quaintances which  never  saw  the  light  till  long  after  I 
was  born.  Possibly  my  own  interpretation  may  not 
adapt  itself  to  the  consciousness  of  all — but  in  myself,  I 
know  for  certain,  tliere  dwells  a  mysterious  something 
which  stirs  and  works  in  me  independently  of  myself, 
which  enters  into  me,  and  takes  its  departure  at  its  will. 
Call  it  as  you  will,  my  Daimon,  or  even  my  Genius — 
the  name  matters  not.  Nor  will  this  'something' 
always  come  at  my  bidding,  while  it  often  possesses  me 
when  I  least  expect  it.  In  those  moments  when  it  stirs 
within  me,  I  am  master  of  much  which  is  peculiar  to  the 
experience  and  potentiality  of  that  hour.  What  is 
known  to  that  Daimon  always  appears  to  me  the  very 


THK    EMPEROR.  1 83 

same  when  I  actually  meet  it.  Thus  Alexandria  is  not 
unknown  to  me,  because  my  Genius  has  seen  it  in  iais 
flights.  It  has  learnt  and  done  much,  both  in  me  and 
for  me ;  a  hundred  times,  face  to  face  with  my  own 
finished  works  I  have  asked  myself:  '  Is  it  possible 
that  you — Hadrian — your  mother's  son — can  have 
achieved  this  ?  What  then  is  the  mysterious  power 
that  aided  you  to  do  it  ?  '  Now  I  also  recognize  it, 
and  can  see  it  work  in  others.  The  man  in  whom  it 
dwells  soon  excels  his  fellows,  and  it  is  most  manifest  in 
artists.  Or  is  it  that  mere  common  men  become  great 
artists  simply  because  the  Genius  selects  them  as  his 
temple  to  dwell  in  ?     Do  you  follow  me,  boy  ?  " 

"Not  altogether,"  replied  Antinous,  and  his  large 
eyes  which  had  sparkled  brightly  so  long  as  he  gazed 
with  the  Emperor  on  the  city,  were  now'cast  down  and 
fixed  wearily  on  the  ground.  "  Do  not  be  angry  with 
me,  my  Lord,  but  I  shall  never  understand  such  things 
as  these,  for  there  is  no  man  with  whom  your  Genius,  as 
you  term  it,  has  less  concern  than  with  me.  Thoughts 
of  my  own  have  I  none,  and  it  is  difficult  to  me  to  fol- 
low the  thoughts  of  others;  indeed  I  should  Hke  to 
know  how  I  am  ever  to  do  anything  right.  When  I 
want  to  work,  to  work  something  out,  no  Daimon  helps 
my  soul ;  no — it  feels  quite  helpless,  and  drifts  into 
dreaminess.  And  if  I  ever  do  complete  anything,  I  am 
obliged  to  own  to  myself  that  I  certainly  might  have 
been  able  to  do  it  better." 

"  Self-knowledge,"  laughed  Hadrian,  "  is  the  climax 
of  wisdom.  A  man  has  done  something  if  he  has  only 
added  a  '  thing  of  beauty  '  to  the  joys  of  a  friend's  im- 
agination ;  what  others  do  by  hard  work  you .  do  by 
mere   existence.     Be   quiet,  Argus  I "     For,   Avhile   he 


184  THE    EMPEROR. 

was  speaking,  the  hound  had  risen,  and  had  gone  snarl- 
ing to  the  door.  In  spite  of  his  master's  orders  he 
broke  into  a  loud  bark  when  he  heard  a  steady  knock 
at  the  door.  Hadrian  looked  round  in  bewilderment, 
and  asked  :     "  Where  is  Mastor  ?  " 

Antinous  shouted  the  slave's  name  into  the  Em- 
peror's bedroom,  which  was  next  to  the  living-room, 
but  in  vain,  "  He  generally  is  always  at  hand,  and  as 
brisk  as  a  lark,  but  to-day  he  looked  as  if  in  a  dream, 
and  while  he  was  dressing  me  he  first  let  my  shoe  fall 
out  of  his  hand  and  then  my  brooch." 

"  I  read  him  yesterday  a  letter  from  Rome.  His 
young  wife  has  gone  away  with  a  ship's  captain." 

"  We  may  wish  him  joy  of  being  free  again." 

"  It  does  not  seem  to  afford  him  any  satisfaction." 

"  Oh !  a  handsome  lad  like  my  body-slave  can  find 
as  many  substitutes  as  he  likes." 

"  But  he  has  not  done  so.  For  the  present  he  is 
still  smarting  under  his  loss." 

"  How  wise!  There,  someone  is  knocking  again. 
Just  see  who  ventures — but  to  be  sure  any  one  has  a 
right  to  knock,  for  at.  Lochias  I  am  not  the  Emperor, 
but  a  shiiple  private  gentleman.  Lie  dov/n  Argus,  are 
you  crazy,  old  fellow  ?  Why  the  dog  maintains  my 
dignity  better  than  I  do,  and  he  does  not  seem 
altogether  to  like  the  architect's  part  I  am  playing." 

Antinous  had  already  raised  his  hand  to  lift  the  han- 
dle, when  the  door  was  gently  opened  from  outside, 
and  the  steward's  slave  stood  on  the  threshold.  The 
old  negro  presented  a  lamentable  spectacle.  The  Em- 
peror's dignified  and  awe-compelling  figure,  and  his 
favorite's  rich  garments  made  him  feel  embarrassed,  and 
the  hound's  threatening  growl  filled  him  with  such  ter- 


■J  HE     EMPEROK.  185 

ror  that  he  huddled  his  lean  negro-legs  together,  and, 
as  far  as  its  length  would  allow,  tried  to  cover  them  for 
protection  with  his  threadbare  tunic. 

Hadrian  gazed  in  astonishment  at  this  image  of  fear, 
and  then  asked  : 

"  Well !  what  do  you  want,  fellow  ?  " 

The  slave  attempted  to  advance  a  step  or  two,  but 
at  a  loud  command  from  Hadrian  he  stood  still,  and  as 
he  looked  down  at  his  flat  feet,  he  ruefully  scratched 
his  short-cropped  grey  hair,  some  of  which  had  fallen 
ofT'and  left  a  bald  patch. 

"  Well,"  repeated  Hadrian,  in  a  tone  which  was  any- 
thing rather  than  encouraging,  as  he  relaxed  his  hold  on 
the  hound's  collar  in  a  somewhat  suspicious  manner. 
The  slave's  bent  knees  began  to  quake,  and  holding 
out  his  broad  palm  to  the  grey-bearded  gentleman,  who 
seemed  to  him  hardly  less  alarming  than  the  dog,  he 
began  to  stammer  out  in  fearfully-mutilated  Greek  the 
speech  which  his  master  had  repeated  to  him  several 
times,  and  which  set  forth  that  he  had  come  "  into  the 
presence  of  the  architect,  Claudius  Venator,  of  Rome, 
to  announce  the  visit  of  his  master,  a  member  of  the 
town-council,  a  Macedonian,  and  a  Roman  citizen, 
Keraunus,  the  son  of  Ptolemy,  steward  of  the  once 
royal  but  now  imperial  palace  at  Lochias." 

Hadrian  unrelentingly  allowed  the  poor  wretch  to 
finish  his  speech,  rubbing  his  hands  with  amusement, 
while  the  sweat  of  anguish  stood  on  the  old  slave's  face, 
and  to  prolong  the  delightful  joke,  he  took  good  care 
not  to  help  the  miserable  old  man  when  his  unaccus- 
tomed tongue  came  to  some  insuperable  difficulty. 
When,  at  length,  the  negro  had  finished  the  pompous 
announcement,  Hadrian  said,  kindly : 


l86  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  Tell  your  master  he  triay  come  in." 

Scarcely  had  the  slave  left  the  room,  when  the 
sovereign,  turning  to  his  favorite,  exclaimed : 

"  This  is  a  delicious  joke  !  What  will  the  Jupiter  be 
like,  when  the  eagle  is  such  a  bird  as  this !" 

Keraunus  was  not  long  to  wait  for.  While  pacing 
up  and  down  the  passage  outside  the  Emperor's  room, 
his  bad  humor  had  risen  considerably,  for  he  took  it  as 
a  slight  on  the  part  of  the  architect,  that  he  should 
allow  him — whose  birth  and  dignities  he  would  have 
learnt  from  his  slave — to  wait  several  minutes,  each  of 
which  seemed  to  him  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  His  ex- 
pectation too,  that  the  Roman  would  come  to  conduct 
him  in  person  into  his  apartment  was  by  no  means  ful- 
filled, for  the  slave's  message  was  briefly — "He  may 
come  in." 

"  Did  he  say  may  ?  Did  he  not  say  '  please  to  come 
in,  or  have  the  goodness  to  come  in  ?' "  asked  the 
steward. 

"  *  He  may  come  in' — was  what  he  said,"  replied  the 
slave.  Keraunus  grunted  out,  "  Well !"  set  his  gold 
circlet  straight  on  his  head  which  he  held  very  upright, 
crossed  his  arms  over  his  broad  chest  with  a  sigh,  and 
ordered  the  black  man  : 

"  Open  the  door." 

The  steward  crossed  the  threshold  with  much  dignity; 
then,  not  to  commit  any  breach  of  courtesy,  he  bowed 
low,  and  was  about  to  begin  to  utter  his  reprimand  in 
cutting  terms,  when  a  glance  at  the  Emperor  and  at  the 
splendid  decoration  which  the  room  had  undergone 
since  the  day  previous,  not  to  mention  the  very  un- 
pleasant growling  of  the  big  dog,  prompted  him  to 
strike  a  milder  string.     His  slave  had  followed  him  and 


THE    EMPEROR.  187 

had  sought  a  safe  comer  near  the  door,  between  the 
wall  of  the  room  and  a  couch,  but  he  himself,  conquer- 
ing his  alarm  at  the  dog,  went  forward  some  distance 
into  the  room.  The  Emperor  had  seated  himself  on 
the  window-sill ;  he  pressed  his  foot  lightly  on  the  head 
of  the  dog,  and  gazed  at  Keraunus  as  at  some  remark- 
able curiosity.  His  eye  thus  met  that  of  the  steward 
and  made  him  clearly  understand  that  he  had  to  do 
with  a  greater  personage  than  he  had  expected.  There 
was  something  imposing  in  the  person  of  the  man  who 
sat  before  him ;  for  this  very  reason,  however,  his  pride 
stood  on  tiptoe,  and  he  asked  in  a  tone  of  swaggering 
dignity,  though  not  so  sharply  and  abruptly  as  he  had 
intended. 

"  Am  I  standing  before  the  new  visitor  to  Lochias, 
the  architect  Claudius  Venator  of  Rome  ?" 

"  You  are — standing — "  replied  the  Emperor,  with  a 
roguish  side  glance  at  Antinous. 

"  You  have  met  with  a  friendly  reception  to  this 
palace.  Like  my  fathers,  who  have  enjoyed  the 
stewardship  of  it  for  centuries,  I  know  how  to  exercise 
the  sacred  duties  of  hospitality." 

"  I  am  surprised  to  hear  of  the  high  antiquity  of  your 
family  and  bow  to  your  pious  sentiments,"  answered 
Hadrian,  in  the  same  tone  as  the  steward.  "  What 
farther  may  I  learn  from  you  ?" 

"  I  did  not  come  here  to  relate  history,"  said 
Keraunus,  whose  gall  rose  as  he  thought  he  detected  a 
mocking  smile  on  the  stranger's  lips.  "  I  did  not  come 
here  to  tell  stories,  but  to  complain  that  you,  as  a 
warmly-welcomed  guest,  show  so  little  anxiety  to  pro- 
tect your  host  from  injury." 

"  How  is  that  ?"  asked  Hadrian,  rising  from  his  seat 


105  THE     EMPEROK. 

and  signing  to  Antinous  to  hold  back  the  hound,  which 
manifested  a  peculiar  aversion  to  the  steward.  It  no 
doubt  detected  that  he  had  come  to  show  no  special 
friendliness  to  his  owner. 

"  Is  that  dangerous  dog,  gnashing  its  teeth  there, 
vour  property  ?"  asked  Keraunus. 

"  Yes." 

"This  morning  it  threw  down  my  daughter  and 
smashed  a  costly  pitcher,  which  she  is  fond  of  carrying 
to  fetch  water  in  the  dawn." 

"  I  heard  of  that  misadventure,"  said  Hadrian, 
"  and  I  would  give  much  if  I  could  undo  it  The  ves- 
sel shall  be  amply  made  good  to  you." 

"  I  beg  you  not  to  add  insult  to  the  injury,  we  have 
suffered  by  your  fault.  A  father  whose  daughter  has 
been  knocked  down  and  hurt — " 

"  Then,  Argus  actually  bit  her  ?"  cried  Antinous, 
horrified. 

"  No,"  Keraunus  replied.  "  But  as  she  fell  her 
head  and  foot  have  been  injured,  and  she  is  suffering 
much  pain." 

"  That  is  very  sad,"  said  Hadrian,  "  and  as  I  am  not 
ignorant  of  the  healing  art,  I  will  gladly  try  to  help  the 
poor  girl." 

"  I  pay  a  professional  leech,  who  attends  me  and 
mine,"  replied  the  steward,  in  a  repellant  tone,  "and  I 
came  hither  to  request — or,  to  be  frank  with  you — to 
require — " 

"  What  ?" 

"  First,  that  my  pardon  shall  be  asked." 

"  That,  the  artist,  Claudius  Venator,  is  always  ready 
to  do  when  any  one  has  suffered  damage  by  his  fault. 
What  has  happened — I  repeat  it — grieves  me  sincerely, 


THE    EMPEROR.  189" 

and  I  beg  you  tell  the  maiden  to  whom  the  accident 
happened,  that  her  pain  is  mine.  What  more  do  you 
desire  ?" 

The  steward's  features  had  calmed  down  at  these 
last  words,  and  he  answered  with  less  excitement  than 
before : 

"  I  must  request  you  to  chain  up  your  dog,  or  to  shut 
it  up,  or  in  some  way  to  keep  it  from  mischief." 

"  That  is  pretty  strong  !"  cried  the  Emperor. 

"  It  is  only  a  reasonable  demand,  and  I  must  stand 
by  it,"  replied  Keraunus  decidedly.  "  Neither  I — nor 
my  children's  lives  are  safe,  so  long  as  tliis  wild  beast  is 
prowhng  about  at  pleasure." 

Hadrian  had,  ere  now,  erected  monuments  to 
deceased  favorites,  both  dogs  and  horses,  and  his 
faithful  Argus  was  no  less  dear  to  him,  than  other 
four-footed  companions  have  been  to  other  childless 
men;  hence  the  queer  fat  man's  demand  seemed  to 
him  so  audacious  and  monstrous,  that  he  indignantly 
exclaimed : 

"  Folly ! — the  dog  shall  be  watched,  but  nothing  far- 
ther." 

"  You  will  chain  him  up,"  replied  Keraunus,  with 
an  angry  glare,  "  or  some  one  will  be  found  who  will 
make  him  harmless  forever." 

"  That  will  be  an  evil  attempt  for  the  cowardly  mur- 
derer!" cried  Hadrian.  "Eh!  Argus,  what  do  you 
think  ?  " 

At  these  words  the  dog  drew  himself  up,  and 
would  have  sprung  at  the  steward's  throat  if  his  mas- 
ter and  Antinous  had  not  held  him  back. 

Keraunus  felt  that  the  dog  had  threatened  him,  but 
at  this  instant  he  would  have  let  himself  be  torn  by  him 


1 9©  THE    EMPEROR, 

without  wincing,  so  completely  was  he  overmastered 
by  the  fury  born  of  his  injured  pride. 

''  And  am  I — I  too,  to  be  hunted  down  by  a  dog, 
in  this  house  ?  "  he  cried  defiantly,  setting  his  left  fist  on 
his  hip.  "  Every  thing  has  its  limits,  and  so  has  my 
patience  with  a  guest  who,  in  spite  of  his  ripe  age 
forgets  due  consideration.  I  will  inform  the  prefect 
Titianus  of  your  proceedings  here,  and  when  the 
Emperor   arrives  he  shall  know " 

"  What  ?  "  laughed  Hadrian. 

"  The  way  you  behave  to  me." 

"Till  then  the  dog  shall  stay  where  it  is,  and  really 
•under  due  restraint.  But  I  can  tefll  you  man,  that 
Hadrian  is  as  much  a  friend  of  dogs  as  I  am — and 
fonder  of  me  than  even  of  dogs." 

"  We  will  see,"  growled  Keraunus,  "  I  or  the 
dog!" 

"  I  am  afraid  it  will  be  the  dog  then." 

"And  Rome  will  see  a  fresh  revolt,"  cried  Ke- 
raunus, roUing  his  eyes.  "  You  took  Egypt  from  the 
Ptolemies," 

"  And  with  very  good  reason — besides  that  is  a  stale 
old  story." 

"  Justice  is  never  stale,  like  a  bad  debt." 

"  At  any  rate  it  perishes  with  persons  it  concerns ; 
there  have  been  no  Lagides  left  here — how  many 
years  ?  " 

"  So'  you  believe,  because  it  suits  your  ends  to  be- 
lieve it,"  replied  the  steward.  "  In  the  man  who  stands 
before  you  flows  the  blood  of  the  Macedonian  rulers  of 
this  country.  My  eldest  son  bears  the  name  of  Ptole- 
maeus  Helios — that  borne  by  the  last  of  the  Lagides, 
who  perished  as  you  pretend." 


THE    EMPEROR.  igi 

"  Dear,  good,  blind  Helios !  "  interrupted  the  black 
slave ;  for  he  was  accustomed  to  avail  himself  of  the 
hapless  child's  name  as  a  protection,  when  Keraunus 
was  in  a  doubtful  humor. 

"  Then  the  last  descendant  of  the  Ptolemies  is 
blind  !  "  laughed  the  Emperor.  "  Rome  may  ignore 
his  claims.  But  I  will  inform  the  Emperor  how  dan- 
gerous a  pretender  this  roof  yet  harbors." 

*'  Denounce  me,  accuse  me,  calumniate  me  !"  cried 
the  steward,  contemptuously.  "  But  I  will  not  let  myself 
be  trodden  on.  Patience — patience!  you  will  live  to 
know  me  yet." 

"  And  you,  the  blood-hound,"  replied  Hadrian,  "  if 
you  do  not  this  instant  quit  the  room  with  your  mouth- 
ing crow " 

Keraunus  signed  to  his  slave,  and  without  greet- 
ing his  foe  in  any  way,  turned  his  back  upon  him.  He 
paused  for  a  moment  at  the  door  of  the  room  and  cried 
out  to  Hadrian : 

"  Rely  upon  this,  I  shall  complain  to  the  Council 
and  write  to  Caesar  how  you  presume  to  behave  to  a 
Macedonian  citizen." 

As  soon  as  the  steward  had  quitted  the  room,  Had- 
rian freed  the  dog,  which  flew  raging  at  the  door  which 
was  closed  between  him  and  the  object  of  his  aversion. 
Hadrian  ordered  him  to  be  quiet,  and  then  turning  to 
his  companion,  he  exclaimed  : 

"  A  perfect  monster  of  a  man !  to  the  last  degree 
ridiculous,  and  at  the  same  time  repulsive.  How  his 
rage  seethed  in  him,  and  yet  could  not  break  out  fairly 
and  thoroughly.  I  am  always  on  my  guard  with  such 
obstinate  fools.  Pay  attention  to  my  Argus,  and  re-- 
member,   we  are   in  Egypt,   the    land    of   poison,  as 


192  THE    EMPEROR. 

Homer  long  since  said.     Mastor  must  keep  his  eyes 
open — Here  he  is  at  last." 


CHAPTER   XV. 

After  the  Emperor's  body-slave  had  started  up  to 
go  to  the  aid  of  Selene,  who  was  attacked  by  his 
sovereign's  dog,  something  had  happened  to  him  which 
he  could  not  forget ;  he  had  received  an  impression 
which  he  could  not  wipe  out,  and  words  and  tones  had 
stirred  his  mind  and  soul  which  incessantly  echoed  in 
them,  so  that  it  was  in  a  preoccupied  and  half-dreamy 
way  that  he  had  done  his  master  those  little  services 
which  he  was  accustomed  to  perform  every  morning, 
briskly  and  with  complete  attention. 

Summer  and  Avinter  Mastor  was  accustomed  to  leave 
his  master's  bedroom  before  sunrise  to  prepare  every- 
thing that  Hadrian  could  need  when  he  rose  from  his 
slumbers.  There  was  the  gold  plating  to  clean  on  the 
narrow  greaves  and  the  leather  straps  which  belonged 
to  his  master's  military  boots,  his  clothes  to  air  and  to 
perfume  with  the  slight,  hardly  perceptible  scent  that  he 
liked,  but  the  preparations  for  Hadrian's  bath  were 
what  took  up  most  of  his  time.  At  Lochias  there  were 
not  as  yet — as  there  were  in  the  imperial  palace  at 
Rome — properly-filled  batlis ;  still  his  servant  knew  that 
here,  as  there,  his  master  would  use  a  due  abundance 
of  water.  He  had  been  told  that  if  he  required  any- 
thing for  his  master  he  was  to  apply  to  Pontius.  Him 
he  found,  without  seeking  him,  outside  the  room  meant 
for  Hadrian's  sitting-room,  to  which,   while  the   Em- 


THE    EMPEROR.  193 

peror  still  slept,  he  was  endeavoring,  with  the  help  of 
his  assistants,  to  give  a  comfortable  and  pleasing  aspect. 
The  architect  referred  the  slave  to  the  workmen  who 
were  busy  laying  the  pavement  in  the  forecourt  of  the 
palace;  these  men  would  carry  in  for  him  as  much 
water  as  ever  he  could  need.  The  body-servant's  posi- 
tion relieved  him  of  such  humble  duties,  still,  when  on 
the  chase,  when  travelling,  or  as  need  arose,  he  was 
accustomed  to  perform  them  unasked,  and  very  will- 
ingly. 

.  The  sun  had  not  yet  risen  when  he  went  out  into 
the  court,  a  number  of  slaves  were  lying  on  their 
mats  asleep,  others  had  camped  round  a  fire  and  were 
waiting  for  their  early  broth,  which  was  being  stirred 
with  wooden  sticks  by  an  old  man  and  a  boy.  Mastor 
would  not  disturb  either  group ;  he  went  up  to  a  party 
of  workmen,  who  seemed  to  be  talking  together,  and 
yet  remained  attentive  to  the  speech  of  an  old  man 
who  was  evidently  telling  them  a  story. 

The  poor  fellow's  heart  was  heavy  and  his  mind  was 
little  bent  on  tales  and  amusements.  All  life  was  em- 
bittered. The  services  required  of  him  usually  seemed 
to  him  of  paramount  importance,  beyond  everything 
else ;  but  to-day  it  was  different.  He  had  an  obscure 
feeling  as  though  fate  herself  had  released  him  from 
all  his  duties,  as  if  misfortune  had  cut  the  bonds  which 
bound  him  to  his  service  to  the  Emperor,  and  had 
made  him  an  isolated  and  lonely  being.  It  even  came 
into  his  head  whether  he  should  not  take  in  his  hand 
all  the  gold  pieces  given  him  sometimes  by  Hadrian,  or 
which  the  wealthy  folks  who  wished  to  be  the  foremost 
of  those  introduced  into  the  Emperor's  presence,  after 
waiting  in  the  antechamber,  had  flung  to  him  or  slipped 

The  Emperor.  I.  13 


194  THE    EMPEROR, 

into  his  hand — make  his  escape  and  carouse  away  all 
that  he  possessed  in  the  taverns  of  the  great  city,  in 
wine  and  the  gay  company  of  women.  It  was  all  the 
same  to  him  what  might  happen  to  him. 

If  he  were  caught  he  would  probably  be  flogged  to 
death  ;  but  he  had  had  kicks  and  blows  in  plenty  before 
he  had  got  into  the  Emperor's  service,  nay,  when  he  was 
brought  to  Rome  he  had  once  even  been  hunted  with 
dogs.  If  he  lost  his  life,  after  all  what  would  it  matter  ? 
He  would  have  done  with  it  then,  once  for  all,  and  the 
future  offered  him  no  prospect  but  perpetual  fatigue  in 
the  service  of  a  restless  master,  anxiety  and  contempt. 
He  was  a  thoroughly  good-hearted  being  who  could 
not  bear  to  hurt  any  one,  and  who  found  it  equally  hard 
to  disturb  a  fellow-man  in  his  pleasures  or  amusement. 
He  felt  particularly  disinclined  to  do  so  just  ntDw,  for 
a  wounded  soul  is  keenly  alive  to  the  moods  and  feelings 
of  others ;  so,  as  he  approached  the  group  of  workmen, 
from  among  whom  he  proposed  to  choose  his  water- 
carrier,  he  determined  that  he  would  not  interrupt  the 
story-teller,  on  whose  lips  the  gaze  of  his  audience  was 
riveted  with  interest. 

The  glare  of  the  blaze  under  the  soup-kettle  fell  full 
on  the  speaker's  face.  He  was  an  old  laborer,  but  his 
long  hair  proclaimed  him  a  freeman.  His  abundant 
white  beard  induced  Mastor  to  suppose  that  he  must  be 
a  Jew  or  a  Phoenician,  but  there  was  nothing  remark- 
able in  the  old  man,  who  was  dressed  in  a  poor  and 
scanty  tunic,  excepting  his  peculiarly  brilliant  eyes, 
which  were  immovably  fixed  on  the  heavens,  and  the 
oblique  position  in  which  he  held  his  head,  supporting 
it  on  the  left  side  with  his  raised  hands. 

"  And  now,"  said  the  speaker,  dropping  his  arms, 


THK    KMPEROR.  I95 

**  let  US  go  back  to  our  labors,  my  brethren.  <  In  the 
sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread,'  it  is  written.  It 
is  often  hard  to  us  old  men  to  heave  stones,  and  bend 
our  stiff  backs  for  so  long  together,  but  we  are  nearer 
than  you  younger  ones  to  the  happy  future.  Life  is 
not  easy  to  all  of  us,  but  it  is  we  who  labor  and  are 
heavy  laden — we  above  all  others — that  the  Lord  has 
bidden  to  be  his  guests,  and  not  last  among  us  the 
slaves."    ■ 

"  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  refresh  you,"  interrupted  one  of  the 
younger  men  repeating  the  words  of  Christ. 

"  Yea,  thus  saith  the  Saviour,"  said  the  old  man  ap- 
provingly, '*  and  he  surely  then  was  thinking  of  us.  I 
said  just  now  our  load  is  not  light,  but  how  much 
heavier  was  the  burden  he  took  upon  him  of  his  own 
free  will  to  release  us  from  woe.  Every  one  must  work, 
nay  even  Caesar  himself,  but  he  who  could  dwell  in  the 
glory  of  his  Father  let  himself  be  mocked  and  scorned 
and  spit  in  the  face,  let  the  crown  of  thorns  be  pressed 
on  his  suffering  head,  bore  his  heavy  cross,  sinking 
under  its  weight,  and  endured  a  death  of  torment,  and 
all  for  our  sakes,  without  a  murmur.  But  he  suffered 
not  in  vain,  for  God  accepted  the  sacrifice  of  his  Son, 
and  did  his  will  and  said,  *  All  that  believe  on  Him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.'  And  though 
a  new  and  weary  day  is  now  beginning,  and  though  it 
should  be  followed  by  a  thousand  wearier  still,  though 
death  is  the  end  of  Hfe — still  we  believe  in  our  Re- 
deemer, we  have  God's  word  bidding  us  out  of  sorrows 
and  sufferings  into  his  Heaven,  promising  us  for  a  brief 
time  of  misery  in  this  world,  endless  ages  of  joy. — Now 
go  to  work.     Our  sturdy  friend  Krates  will  work  for 

13* 


196  THE    EMPEROR. 

you  dear  Knakias  until  your  finger  is  healed.  When 
the  bread  is  distributed  remember,  each  of  you,  the 
children  of  our  poor  deceased  brother  Philammon. 
You,  poor  Gibbus,  will  find  your  labors  bitter  to-day. 
This  man's  master,  my  dear  brethren,  sold  both  his 
daughters  yesterday  to  a  dealer  from  Smyrna;  but  if 
you  never  see  them  again  in  Egypt,  or  in  any  other 
country,  my  friend,  you  will  meet  them  in  the  home  of 
your  Heavenly  Father — of  that  you  may  rest  assured. 
Our  life  on  earth  is  but  a  pilgrimage,  and  Heaven  is  the 
goal,  and  the  Guide  who  teaches  us  never  to  miss  the 
way,  is  our  Saviour.  Weariness  and  toil,  sorrow  and 
suffering  are  easy  to  bear,  to  him  who  knows  that  when 
the  solemn  hour  is  near,  the  King  of  Kings  shall  throw 
open  his  dwelling-place,  and  invite  him  to  enter  as  a 
favored  guest  to  inhabit  there,  where  all  we  have  loved 
have  found  joy  and  rest." 

"  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  refresh  you,"  said  a  man's  loud  voice 
again  from  the  circle  that  sat  round  the  old  man.  The 
old  man  stood  up,  signed  to  a  boy  who  distributed  the 
bread  in  equal  shares  to  the  workmen,  and  took  up  a 
jar  with  handles,  out  of  which  he  filled  a  large  wooden 
cup  with  wine. 

Not  a  word  of  this  discourse  had  escaped  Mastor, 
and  the  often  repeated  verse,  "  Come  unto  me  all  ye 
that  labor,"  dwelt  in  his  mind  like  the  invitation  of  a 
hospitable  friend  bidding  him  to  happy  days  of  freedom 
and  enjoyment.  A  distant  gleam  shone  through  the 
weight  of  his  troubles,  seeming  to  promise  the  dawn  of 
a  new  day,  and  he  reverently  went  up  to  the  old  man, 
in  the  first  place  to  ask  him  if  he  was  the  overseer  of  tlie 
workmen  who  stood  round  him. 


THE    EMPEROR.  I97 

"  I  am,"  replied  the  old  man,  and  as  soon  as  he 
learnt  what  Mastor  required  as  a  commission  from  the 
controlling  architect,  he  pointed  out  some  young  slaves 
who  quickly  brought' the  water  that  he  needed. 

Pontius  met  the  Emperor's  servant  and  his  water- 
carriers  and  remarked,  loudly  enough  for  Mastor  to 
understand  him,  to  Pollux  who  was  with  him : 

"  The  architect's  servant  is  getting  Christians  to  wait 
upon  his  master  to-day.  They  are  regular  and  sober 
workmen  who  do  their  duty  silently  and  well." 

While  Mastor  was  giving  his  master  towels,  and 
helping  to  dry  and  dress  him,  he  was  far  less  attentive 
than  usual,  for  he  could  not  get  the  words  he  had  heard 
from  the  overseer's  lips  out  of  his  mind.  He  had  not 
understood  them  all,  but  he  had  fully  comprehended 
tliat  there  was  a  kind  and  loving  God  who  had  suffered 
in  his  own  person  the  utmost  torments,  who  was  espe- 
cially gracious  to  the  poor,  the  miserable,  and  the 
bondsman,  and  who  promised  to  refresh  them  and 
comfort  them,  and  to  re-unite  them  to  those  who  had 
once  been  dear  to  them.  "  Come  unto  me,"  sounded 
again  and  again  in  his  ears,  and  struck  so  warmly  to 
his  heart  that  he  could  not  help  thinking  first  of  his 
mother,  who,  so  many  a  time,  when  he  was  a  child,  had 
called  to  him  only  to  clasp  him  in  her  arms  as  he  ran 
towards  her,  and  to  press  him  to  her  heart.  Just  so  had 
he  often  called  his  poor  little  dead  son,  and  the  feeling 
that  there  could  be  any  one  who  might  still  call  to  him — 
the  forsaken  lonely  man — with  loving  words  to  release 
him  from  his  griefs,  to  reunite  him  to  his  mother,  his 
father,  and  all  the  dear  ones  left  behind  in  his  lost  and 
distant  home,  took  half  the  bitterness  from  his  pain. 

He  was  accustomed  to  listen  to  all  that  was  said  in 


198  THE    EMPEROR. 

the  Emperor's  presence,  and  year  by  year  he  had  learnt 
to  understand  more  of  what  he  heard.  He  had  often 
heard  the  Christians  discussed,  and  usually  as  deluded 
but  dangerous  fools.  Many  of  his  fellow-slaves,  too, 
he  had  heard  called  Christian  idiots,  but  still  not  unfre- 
quently  very  reasonable  men,  and  sometimes  even  Had- 
rian himself,  had  taken  the  part  of  the  Christians, 

This  was  the  first  time  that  Mastor  had  heard  from 
their  own  lips  what  they  believed  and  hoped,  and  now, 
while  fulfilling  his  duties  he  could  hardly  bear  the  delay 
before  he  could  once  more  seek  out  the  old  pavement- 
worker,  to  enquire  of  him,  and  to  have  the  hopes  con- 
firmed which  his  words  had  aroused  in  his  soul. 

No  sooner  had  Hadrian  and  Antinous  gone  into 
the  living-room  than  Mastor  had  hastened  off  across 
the  court  to  find  the  Christians.  There  he  tried  to 
open  a  conversation  with  the  overseer  concerning  his 
faith,  but  the  old  man  answered  that  there  was  a  season 
for  everything ;  just  now  he  could  not  interrupt  the 
work,  but  that  he  might  come  again  after  sundown,  and 
that  he  then  would  tell  him  of  Him  who  had  promised 
to  refresh  the  sorrow-laden. 

Mastor  thought  no  more  of  making  his  escape. 
When  he  appeared  again  in  his  master's  presence  there 
was  such  a  sunny  light  in  his  blue  eyes  that  Hadrian 
left  the  angry  words  he  had  prepared  for  him  unspoken, 
and  cried  to  Antinous,  laughing  and  pointing  to  the 
slave : 

"  I  really  believe  the  rascal  has  consoled  himself 
already,  and  found  a  new  mate.  Let  us,  too,  follow  the 
precept  of  Horace,  so  far  as  we  may,  and  enjoy  the 
present  day.  The  poet  may  let  the  future  go  as  it  will, 
but  I  cannot,  for,  unfortunately,  I  am  the  Emperor." 


THE    EMPEROR. 


199 


"  And  Rome  may  thank  the  gods  that  you  are," 
rephed  Antinous. 

"  What  happy  phrases  the  boy  hits  upon  some- 
times," said  Hadrian  with  a  laugh,  and  he  stroked  the 
lad's  brown  curls.  "  Now  till  noon  I  must  work  with 
Phlegon  and  Titianus,  whom  I  am  expecting,  and  then 
perhaps  we  may  find  something  to  laugh  at.  Ask  the 
tall  sculptor  there  behind  the  screens,  at  what  hour  Bal- 
billa  is  to  sit  to  him  for  her  bust.  We  must  also  in- 
spect the  architect's  work,  and  that  of  the  Alexandrian 
artists  by  daylight ;  that,  their  zeal  has  well  deserved." 

Hadrian  retired  to  the  room  where  his  private  sec- 
retary had  ready  for  him  the  despatches  and  papers  for 
Rome  and  the  provinces,  which  the  Emperor  was  re- 
quired to  read  and  to  sign.  Antinous  remained  alone 
in  the  sitting-  room,  and  for  an  hour  he  continued  to 
gaze  at  the  ships  which  came  to  anchor  in  the  harbor, 
or  sailed  out  of  the  roads,  and  amused  himself  with 
watching  the  swift  boats  which  swarmed  round  the 
larger  vessels,  like  wasps  round  ripe  fruit.  He  listened 
to  the  songs  of  the  sailors,  and  the  music  of  the  flute- 
players,  to  the  measured  beat  of  the  oars,  which  came 
up  from  the  triremes  in  the  private  harbor  of  the  Em- 
peror as  they  went  out  to  sea.  Even  the  pure  blue  of 
the  sky  and  the  warmth  of  the  deUcious  morning  were 
a  pleasure  to  him,  and  he  asked  himself  whether  the 
smell  of  tar,  which  pervaded  the  seaport,  were  agreeable 
or  not. 

Presently  as  the  sun  mounted  in  the  sky,  its  bright 
sphere  dazzled  him ;  he  left  the  window  with  a  yawn, 
stretched  himself  on  a  couch,  and  stared  absently  up  at 
the  ceiling  of  the  room  without  thinking  of  the  subject 
which  the  faded  picture  on  it  was  intended  to  represent. 


200  THE    EMPEROR. 

Idleness  had  long  since  grown  to  be  the  occupation 
of  his  life ;  but  accustomed  to  it  as  he  was,  he  was 
sometimes  conscious  of  its  dark  attendant  shadow — 
ennui — as  of  a  disagreeable  and  intrusive  interruption 
to  the  enjoyment  of  life.  Generally  in  such  lonely  hours 
of  idle  reverie  his  thoughts  reverted  to  his  belongings 
in  Bithynia,  of  whom  he  never  dared  to  speak  before 
the  Emperor,  or  perhaps  of  the  hunting  excursions  he 
had  made  with  Hadrian,  of  the  slaughtered  game,  of  the 
fish  he — an  experienced  angler — had  caught,  or  such 
like.  What  the  future  might  bring  him  troubled  him 
not,  for  to  the  love  of  creativeness,  to  ambition — to  all, 
in  short,  that  bore  any  resemblance  to  a  passionate  ex- 
citement his  soul  had,  so  far,  remained  a  stranger.  The 
admiration  which  was  universally  excited  by  his  beauty 
gave  him  no  pleasure,  and  many  a  time  he  felt  as 
though  it  was  not  worth  while  to  stir  a  limb  or  draw  a 
breath.  Almost  everything  he  saw  was  indifferent  to 
him  excepting  a  kind  word  from  the  lips  of  the  Em- 
peror, whom  he  regarded  as  great  above  all  other  men, 
whom  he  feared  as  Destiny  incarnate,  and  to  whom  he 
felt  himself  bound  as  intimately  as  the  flower  to  the 
tree,  the  blossom  that  must  die  when  the  stem  is  broken, 
on  which  it  flaunts  as  an  ornament  and  a  grace. 

But,  to-day,  as  he  flung  himself  on  the  divan  his 
visions  took  a  new  direction.  He  could  not  help 
thinking  of  the  pale  girl  whom  he  had  saved  from  the 
jaws  of  the  blood-hound — of  the  white  cold  hand 
which  for  an  instant  had  clung  to  his  neck — of  the  cold 
words  with  which  she  had  afterwards  repelled  him. 

Antinous  began  to  long  violently  to  see  Selene.  That 
same  Antinous,  to  whom  in  all  the  cities  he  had  visited 
with  the  Emperor,  and  in  Rome  particularly,  the  noble 


THE     EMPEROR.  20I 

fair  ones  had  sent  branches  of  flowers  and  tender  let- 
ters, and  who  nevertheless,  since  the  day  when  he  left 
his  home,  had  never  felt  for  any  woman  or  girl  half  so 
tender  a  sentiment,  as  for  the  hunter  the  Emperor  had 
given  him,  or  for  the  big  dog.  This  girl  stood  before 
his  memory  like  breathing  marble.  Perchance  the  man 
might  be  doomed  to  death  who  should  rest  on  her  cold 
breast,  but  such  a  death  must  be  full  of  ecstasy,  and  it 
seemed  to  him  that  it  would  be  far  more  blissful  to  die 
with  the  blood  frozen  in  his  veins,  than  of  the  too  rapid 
throbbing  of  his  heart. 

"  Selene,"  he  murmured,  now  and  again,  with  soft 
hesitation  ;  a  strange  unrest  foreign  to  his  calm  nature 
seemed  to  propagate  itself  through  all  his  limbs,  and  he 
who  commonly  would  be  stretched  on  a  couch  for  hours 
without  stirring,  lost  in  dreams,  now  sprang  up  and 
paced  the  room,  sighing  deeply,  and  with  long  strides. 

It  was  a  passionate  longing  for  Selene  that  drove 
him  up  and  down,  and  his  wish  to  see  her  again  crystal- 
lized into  resolve,  and  prompted  him  to  contrive  the 
ways  and  means  of  meeting  her  once  more  before  the 
Emperor's  return. 

Simply  to  invade  her  father's  lodging  without  far- 
ther ceremony,  seemed  to  him  out  of  the  question,  and 
yet  he  was  certain  of  finding  her  there,  since  her  injured 
foot  would  of  course  keep  her  at  home.  Should  he 
once  more  go  to  the  steward  with  a  request  for  bread 
and  salt  ?  But  he  dared  not  ask  anything  of  Keraunus 
in  Hadrian's  name  after  the  scene  which  had  so  recently 
taken  place.  Should  he  go  there  to  carry  her  a  new- 
pitcher  in  the  place  of  the  broken  one  ?  But  that  would 
only  freshly  enrage  the  arrogant  official. 

Should  he — should  he — should  he  not?     But  no. 


202  THE    EMPEROR. 

it  was  quite  impossible — still,  that  no  doubt — that  was 
the  right  idea.  In  his  medicine-chest  there  Avere  a  few 
extracts  which  had  been  given  to  him  by  the  Emperor ; 
he  would  offer  her  one  of  these  to  dilute  with  water  and 
apply  to  her  bruised  foot.  And  this  act  of  sympathy 
could  not  displease  even  his  master,  who  liked  to 
prove  his  healing  art  on  the  sick  or  suffering.  He  at 
once  called  Mastor,  and  desired  him  to  take  charge  of 
the  hound  which  had  followed  his  steps  as  he  paced 
the  room,  then  he  went  into  his  sleeping-room,  took  out 
a  phial  of  a  most  costly  essence,  which  Hadrian  had  given 
him  on  his  last  birthday,  and  which  had  formerly  belonged 
to  Trajan's  wife,  Kotina,  and  then  proceeded  to  the 
steward's  rooms.  On  the  steps  where  he  had  found 
Selene,  he  found  the  black  slave  with  some  children. 
The  old  man  had  sat  down  there  and  got  no  farther  for 
fear  of  the  Roman's  dog.  Antinous  went  up  to  him  and 
begged  him  to  guide  him  to  his  master's  quarters,  and 
the  negro  immediately  showed  him  the  way,  opened 
the  door  of  the  antechamber,  and  pointing  to  the 
living-room  said  : 

"There — but  Keraunus  is  absent." 

Without  troubling  himself  any  further  about  Antinous 
the  slave  went  back  to  the  children,  but  the  Bithynian 
stood  irresolute,  with  his  fiask  in  his  hand,  for  besides 
Selene's  voice  he  heard  that  of  another  girl  and  the 
deeper  tones  of  a  man.  He  was  still  hesitating  when 
Arsinoe's  loud  exclamation  of  **  Who's  there  ?"  obliged 
him  to  advance. 

In  the  sitting-room  Selene  was  standing  dressed  in 
a  long  light-colored  robe  with  a  veil  over  her  head,  as  if 
prepared  to  go  out,  but  Arsinoe  was  perched  on  the  edge 
of  a  table,  in  such  a  way  as  that  the  tips  of  her  toes  only 


THE    EMPEROR.  203 

touched  the  ground,  and  on  the  table  lay  a  quantity  of 
old-fashioned  things.  Before  her  stood  a  Phoenician,  of 
middle  age,  holding  in  his  hand  a  finely-carved  cup ; 
apparently  he  was  in  treaty  for  it  with  the  young  girl. 

Keraunus  had  been  again  to-day  to  a  dealer  in 
curiosities,  but  he  had  not  found  him  at  home,  so  he 
had  left  word  at  his  shop  that  Hiram  might  call  upon 
him  in  his  rooms  at  Lochias,  where  he  could  show  him 
several  valuable  rarities.  The  Phcenician  had  arrived 
before  the  return  of  the  steward  himself,  who  had  been 
detained  at  a  meeting  of  the  town  council,  and  Arsinoe 
Avas  displaying  her  father's  treasures,  whose  beauties  she 
was  extolling  with  much  eloquence.  Hiram  unfortu- 
nately offered  a  no  higher  price  than  Gabinius,  whom  the 
steward  had  sent  off  so  indignantly  the  previous  even- 
ing. 

Selene  had  been  convinced  from  the  first  of  the 
bootlessness  of  the  attempt,  and  was  now  anxious  ta 
bring  the  transaction  to  a  speedy  conclusion,  as  the 
hour  was  approaching  when  she  and  Arsinoe  had  to  ga 
to  the  papyrus  factory.  To  her  sister's  refusal  to  ac- 
company her,  and  to  the  old  slave-woman's  entreaty 
that  she  would  rest  her  foot,  at  any  rate  for  to-day,  she 
had  responded  only  with  a  resolute,  "  I  am  going." 

The  appearance  of  the  youth  on  the  scene  occa- 
sioned the  girls  some  embarrassment.  Selene  recognized 
him  at  once,  Arsinoe  thought  him  handsome  but  awk- 
ward, while  the  curiosity-dealer  gazed  at  him  in  perfect 
admiration,  and  was  the  first  to  offer  him  a  greeting. 
Antinous  returned  it,  bowed  to  the  sisters,  and  then 
said  turning  to  Selene : 

"  We  heard  that  your  head  was  cut,  and  your  foot 
hurt,  and  as  we  were  guilty  of  your  mishap,  we  venture 


204  THE    EMPEROR. 

to  offer  you  this  phial  which  contains  a  good  remedy 
for  such  injuries." 

"  Thank  you,"  rephed  the  girl.  "  But  I  feel  already 
so  well  that  I  shall  try  to  go  out." 

"  That  you  certainly  ought  not  to  do,"  said  Antinous, 
beseechingly. 

"  I  must,"  replied  Selene,  gravely. 
*   "  Then,  at  any  rate,  take  the  phial   to   use   for   a 
lotion  when  you  return.     Ten  drops  in  such  a  cup  as 
that,  full  of  water." 

"  I  can  try  it  when  I  come  in." 

"  Do  so,  and  you  will  see  how  healing  it  is.  You 
are  not  vexed  with  us  any  longer  ?" 

"No." 

"  I  am  glad  of  that !"  cried  the  boy,  fixing  his  large 
dreamy  eyes  on  Selene  with  silent  passion.  This  gaze 
displeased  her,  and  she  said  more  coldly  than  before  to 
the  Bithynian. 

"  To  whom  shall  I  give  the  phial  when  I  have  used 
the  stuff  in  it  ?" 

"  Keep  it,  pray  keep  it,"  begged  Antinous.  "  It  is 
pretty,  and  will  be  twice  as  precious  in  my  eyes  when 
it  belongs  to  you." 

"  It  is  pretty — but  I  do  not  wish  for  presents." 

"  Then  destroy  it  when  you  have  done  with  it.  You 
have  not  forgiven  us  our  dog's  bad  behavior,  and  v/e 
are  sincerely  sorry  that  our  dog " 

"  I  am  not  vexed  with  you.  Arsinoe  pour  the 
medicine  into  a  saucer." 

The  steward's  younger  daughter  immediately 
obeyed,  and  noticing  as  she  did  so,  how  pretty  the 
johial  was,  sparkling  with  various  colors,  she  said 
frankly  enough : 


THE    EMPEROR. 


205 


"  If  my  sister  will  not  have  it,  give  it  to  me.  How 
can  you  make  such  a  pother  about  nothing,  Selene  ?" 

"  Take  it,"  said  Antinous,  looking  anxiously  at  the 
ground,  for  it  had  now  just  occurred  to  him  how  highly 
the  Emperor  had  valued  this  little  bottle,  and  that  he 
might  possibly  ask  him  some  time  what  had  become  of 
it.  Selene  shrugged  her  shoulders,  and  drawing  her 
veil  round  her  head,  she  exclaimed,  with  a  glance  of 
annoyance  at  her  sister : 

"  It  is  high  time !" 

"I  am  not  going  to-day,"  replied  Arsinoe,  defiantly, 
**  and  it  is  folly  for  you  to  walk  a  quarter  of  a  mile  with 
your  swollen  foot." 

,  "  It  would  be  wiser  to  take  some  care  of  it,"  ob- 
served the  dealer,  politely,  and  Antinous  anxiously 
added : 

"  If  you  increase  your  own  suffering  you  will  add  to 
our  self-reproach." 

"  I  must  go,"  Selene  repeated  resolutely,  "  and  you 
with  me,  sister." 

It  was  not  out  of  mere  wilfulness  that  she  spoke,  it 
was  bitter  necessity,  that  forced  her  to  utter  the  words. 
To-day,  at  any  rate,  she  must  not  miss  going  to  the 
papyrus  factory,  for  the  week's  wages  for  her  work  and 
Arsinoe's  were  to  be  paid.  Besides,  the  next  day,  and  for 
four  days  after,  the  workshops  and  counting-house 
would  be  closed,  for  the  Emperor  had  announced  to 
the  wealthy  proprietor  his  intention  of  visiting  them, 
and  in  his  honor  various  dilapidations  in  the  old  rooms 
were  to  be  repaired,  and  various  decorations  added  to 
the  bare-looking  building.  Hence,  to  remain  away 
from  the  works  to-day  meant,  not  merely  the  loss  of  a 
week's  pay,  but  the  sacrifice  of  twelve  days,  since  it  had 


2o6  THE    EMPEROR. 

been  announced  to  the  work-people,  that  as  a  token  of 
rejoicing,  and  in  honor  of  the  imperial  visit,  full  pay 
would  be  given  for  the  unemployed  days ;  and  Selene 
needed  money  to  maintain  the  family,  and  must  there- 
fore persist  in  her  intention. 

When  she  saw  that  Arsinoe  showed  no  sign  of  ac- 
companying her,  she  once  more  asked  with  stern  deter- 
mination : 

"  Are  you  coming  ? — Yes,  or  no." 

"  No,"  cried  Arsinoe,  defiantly,  and  sitting  farther 
on  the  table. 

"  Then  I  am  to  go  alone  ?  " 

"  You  are  to  stay  here." 

Selene  went  close  up  to  her  sister  and  looked  at 
her  enquiringly  and  reproachfully ;  but  Arsinoe  adhered 
to  her  refusal.  She  pouted  like  a  sulky  child,  and  slap- 
ping the  hand  on  which  she  was  leaning  three  times  on 
the  table,  she  repeated,  "No — ^no — no." 

Selene  called  to  the  old  slave-woman,  and  desired 
her  to  remain  in  the  sitting-room  till  her  father  should 
return,  greeted  the  dealer  pohtely,  and  Antinous  with  a 
careless  nod,  and  then  left  the  room.  The  lad  had  fol- 
lowed her,  and  they  both  met  the  children.  Selene 
pulled  their  dresses  straight,  and  strictly  enjoined  them 
not  to  go  near  the  corridor  on  account  of  the  strange 
dog.  Antinous  stroked  the  blind  boy's  pretty  curly 
head,  and  then,  as  Selene  was  about  to  descend  the 
stairs,  he  asked  her  : 

"  May  I  help  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl,  for  at  the  very  first  step  an 
acute  pain  in  the  ancle  checked  her,  and  she  put  out 
her  arm  to  the  young  man  that  he  might  support  her 
elbow  on  his  hand.     But  her  answer  would  assuredly 


THE    EMPEROR.  207 

have  been  "  no,"  if  she  had  had  the  smallest  feeling  of 
liking  for  the  Emperor's  favorite ;  but  she  bore  the  im- 
age of  another  in  her  heart,  and  did  not  even  perceive 
that  Antinous  was  beautiful.  The  Bithynian's  heart,  on 
the  other  hand,  had  never  beaten  so  violently  as  during 
the  brief  moments  when  he  was  permitted  to  hold 
Selene's  arm.  He  felt  intoxicated,  while  he  was  alive 
to  the  fact  that  during  the  descent  of  the  few  steps  she 
was  suffering  great  pain. 

"  Stay  at  home,  and  spare  yours|^f!  "  he  begged  her 
once  more  in  a  trembling  voice. 

"  You  worry  me !  "  she  said,  in  a  tone  of  vexation. 
*'  I  must  go,  and  it  is  not  far." 

"  May  I  accompany  you  ?  " 

She  laughed  aloud  and  answered  somewhat  scorn- 
fully : 

"  Certainly  not.  Only  conduct  me  through  the  cor- 
ridor that  the  dog  may  not  attack  me  again,  then  go 
where  you  will — but  not  with  me." 

He  obeyed  when  at  the  end  of  the  passage  where  it 
opened  into  a  large  hall,  he  bid  her  farewell,  and  she 
thanked  him  with  a  few  friendly  words. 

There  were  two  ways  out  from  her  father's  rooms 
mto  the  road,  one  led  through  the  rotunda  where  the 
Ptolemaic  Queens  were  placed,  and  across  several  ter- 
races up  and  down  steps  through  the  forecourt;  the 
other,  on  a  level  all  the  way,  through  the  rooms  and 
halls  of  the  palace.  She  was  forced  to  choose  the  latter, 
for  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  her  with  her  aching 
foot  to  clamber  up  a  number  of  stej)s  without  help  and 
down  them  again,  but  she  came  to  this  conclusion 
much  against  her  will,  for  she  knew  what  numbers  of 
men  were  engaged  in  the  works  of  restoration ;  and  to 


208  THE    EMPEROR. 

get  tlirough  them  safely  it  struck  her  that  she  might 
ask  her  old  playfellow  to  escort  her  through  the  crowd 
of  workmen  and  rough  slaves  as  far  as  his  parent's  gate- 
house. But  she  did  not  easily  decide  on  this  course,  for, 
since  the  afternoon  when  Pollux  had  shown  her  mother's 
bust  to  Arsinoe  before  showing  it  to  her,  she  had  felt  a 
grudge  towards  the  sculptor,  who  so  lately  before  had 
touched  and  opened  her  weary  and  loveless  soul ;  and 
this  sore  feeling  had  not  diminished,  but  had  rather  in- 
creased with  time#  At  every  hour  of  the  day,  and 
whatever  she  was  occupied  in,  she  could  not  help  re- 
peating to  herself,  that  she  had  every  reason  to  be  vexed 
with  him. 

She  had  stood  to  him  a  second  time  as  a  model  for 
his  work,  had  spoken  to  him  many  times,  and  when  last 
they  parted  had  promised  to  allow  him  this  very  even- 
ing to  study  once  more  the  folds  of  her  mantle.  With 
what  pleasure  she  had  looked  forward  to  each  meeting 
with  Pollux,  how  truly  lovable  she  had  thought  him 
on  every  fresh  occasion ;  how  frankly  he  too,  expressed 
his  pleasure  as  often  as  they  met !  They  had  talked  of 
all  sorts  of  things,  even  of  love,  and  how  eager  he  had 
been  when  he  told  her  that  the  only  thing  she  needed 
to  make  her  happy  was  a  good  husband  who  would 
succor  and  comfort  her  as  she  deserved,  and  as  he 
spoke  he  had  looked  at  his  own  strong  hands  while  she 
had  turned  red,  and  had  thought  to  herself  that  if  he 
liked  it  she  would  willingly  make  the  experiment  of  en- 
joying life  heartily  by  his  side. 

It  seemed  to  her  as  though  they  belonged  to  each 
other,  as  if  she  had  been  born  for  him  alone,  and  he  for 
her.  Why  then  yesterday  had  he  shown  Arsinoe  her 
mother's  bust  before  her  ? 


THE    EMPEROR.  209 

Well,  now  she  would  ask  him  plainly  whether  he 
had  placed  it  on  the  rotunda  for  her  or  for  her  sister, 
and  let  him  see  she  was  not  pleased.  She  must  tell 
him,  too,  that  she  could  not  stand  as  his  model  that 
evening  ;  if  only  on  account  of  her  foot  that  would  be 
impossible. 

With  increasing  pain  and  effort  she  crossed  the 
threshold  of  the  hall  of  the  Muses,  and  went  up  to  the 
screen  behiijd  which  her  friend  was  concealed.  He  was 
not  alone,  for  she  heard  voices  within — and  it  was  not  a 
man  but  a  woman  who  was  with  him ;  she  could  hear 
her  clear  laugh  at  some  distance.  When  she  came 
close  up  to  the  screen  to  call  Pollux,  the  woman,  who 
was  certainly  sitting  to  him  as  a  model,  spoke  louder 
than  before,  and  called  out  merrily : 

"  But  this  is  delicious !  I  am  to  let  you  fulfil  the 
office  of  my  maid,  what  audacity  these  artists  have  !" 

"  Say  yes,"  begged  the  artist,  in  the  gay  and  cordial 
tone  which  more  than  once  had  helped  to  ensnare 
Selene's  heart.  "  You  are  beautiful,  Balbilla,  but  if  you 
would  allow  me,  you  might  be  far  handsomer  than  you 
are  even." 

And  again  there  was  a  merry  laugh  behind  the  screen. 
The  pleasant  voice  must  have  hurt  poor  Selene  acutely 
for  she  drew  up  her  shoulders,  and  her  fair  features 
were  stamped  with  an  expression  of  keen  suffering,  and 
she  pressed  both  hands  over  her  heart  as  she  went  on 
past  the  screen  and  her  handsome  flirting  playfellow, 
limping  across  the  courtyard  and  into  the  road. 

What  tortured  the  poor  child  so  cruelly  ?  The 
poverty  of  her  house,  and  her  bodily  pain,  which  in- 
creased at  every  step,  or  her  numbed  and  sore  heart,  be- 
trayed of  her  newly-blossoming,  last,  and  fairest  hope  ? 

The  Emperor.  I.  14 


THE    EMPEROR. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


Usually  when  Selene  went  out  walking,  many- 
people  looked  at  her  with  admiration,  but  to-day  a 
couple  of  street-boys  composed  her  escort.  They  ran 
after  her  calling  out  impudently,  '  dot,  and  go  one,' 
and  tried  ruthlessly  to  snatch  at  the  loosely-tied  sandal 
on  her  injured  foot,  which  tapped  the  pavement  at  ever)- 
step.  While  Selene  was  thus  making  her  way  with  cruel 
pain,  satisfaction  and  happiness  had  visited  Arsinoe ;  for 
hardly  had  Selene  and  Antinous  quitted  her  father's 
apartments,  when  Hiram  begged  her  to  show  him  the 
little  bottle  which  the  handsome  youth  had  just  given 
her.  The  dealer  turned  it  over  and  over  in  the  sun- 
light, tested  its  ring,  tried  to  scratch  it  with  the  stone  in 
his  ring,  and  then  muttered,  "  Vasa  Murrhina." 

The  words  did  not  escape  the  girl's  sharp  ears,  and 
she  had  heard  her  father  say  that  the  costliest  of  all  the 
ornamental  vessels  with  which  the  wealthy  Romans 
were  wont  to  decorate  their  reception-rooms,  were 
those  called  Vasa  Murrhina;  so  she  explained  to  him  at 
once,  that  she  knew  what  high  prices  were  paid  for  such 
vases,  and  that  she  had  no  mind  to  sell  it  cheaply.  He 
began  to  bid,  she  laughingly  demanded,  ten  times  the 
price,  and  after  a  long  battle  between  the  dealer  and  the 
owner,  fought  now  half  in  jest,  and  now  in  grave  earn- 
est, the  Phoenician  said : 

"Two  thousand  drachmae;  not  a.  sesterce  more." 

•*  That  is  not  enough  by  a  long  way,  but  then — 
it  is  yours." 


THE    EMPEROR.  211 

"  I  would  hardly  have  given  half  to  a  less  fair  cus- 
tomer." 

"  And  I  only  let  you  have  it  because  you  are  such  a 
polite  man." 

"  I  will  send  you  the  money  before  sundown." 

At  these  words  the  girl,  who  had  been  radiant  with 
surprise  and  delight,  and  who  would  have  liked  to 
throw  her  arms  round  the  bald-headed  merchant's  neck, 
or  round  that  of  her  old  slave,  who  was  even  less  at- 
tractive, or  for  that  matter,  would  have  embraced  the 
world — the  triumphant  girl  became  thoughtful ;  her 
father  would  certainly  come  home  ere  long,  and  she 
could  not  conceal  from  herself  that  he  would  disap- 
prove of  the  whole  proceeding,  and  would  probably 
send  the  phial  back  to  the  young  man,  and  the  money 
to  the  dealer.  She  herself  would  never  have  asked 
the  stranger  for  the  bottle  if  she  had  had  the  sHghtest 
suspicion  of  its  value ;  but  now  it  certainly  belonged  to 
her,  and  if  she  had  given  it  back  again  she  would  have 
given  no  one  any  pleasure ;  on  the  contrary,  she  would 
have  offended  the  stranger,  and  probably  have  lost  the 
greatest  pleasure  that  she  had  ever  enjoyed. 

What  was  to  be  done  now  ?  She  was  still  perched 
on  the  table ;  she  had  taken  her  left  foot  in  her  right 
hand,  and  sitting  in  this  quaint  position,  she  looked 
down  on  the  ground  as  gravely  as  if  she  were  trying  to 
find  an  idea,or  a  way  out  of  the  difficulty,  in  the  pattern 
on  the  floor. 

The  dealer  for  a  moment  amused  himself  in  study- 
ing her  bewilderment,  which  he  thought  charming — 
only  wishing  that  his  son,  a  young  painter,  were  stand- 
ing in  his  place.  At  last  he  broke  the  silence  however, 
saying : 


2  12  THE    E.MPEROR. 

"  Your  father,  perhaps,  will  not  agree  to  our  bargain; 
and  yet  it  is  for  him  you  want  the  money  ?" 

"Who  says  so?" 

"  Would  he  have  offered  me  his  own  treasures  if  he 
had  not  wanted  money  ?" 

"  It  is  only — I  can  only — "  stammered  Arsinoe,  who 
was  unaccustomed  to  falsehood — r"  I  would  merely  not 
confess  to  him " 

"  I  myself  saw  how  innocently  you  came  by  the 
phial,"  said  the  dealer,  "  and  Keraunus  never  need  know 
anything  about  such  a  trifle.  Fancy  yourself,  that  you 
have  broken  it,  and  that  the  pieces  are  lying  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  sea.  Which  of  all  these  things  does  your 
father  value  least  ?" 

"  This  old  sword  of  Antony,"  answered  the  child, 
her  face  brightening  once  more.  "  He  says  it  is  much 
too  long,  and  too  slender  to  be  what  it  pretends  to  be. 
For  my  part  I  do  not  believe  that  it  is  a  sword  at  all, 
but  a  roasting-spit." 

"  I  shall  apply  it  to  tliat  very  purpose  to-morrow 
morning  in  my  kitchen,"  said  the  dealer,  "but  I  offer 
you  two  thousand  drachmae  for  it,  and  will  take  it  with 
me  and  send  you  the  amount  in  a  few  hours.  Will  that 
do?" 

Arsinoe  dropped  her  foot,  glided  from  the  table,  and 
instead  of  answering,  clapped  her  hands  with  glee. 

"  Only  tell  him,"  continued  Hiram,  "  that  I  am  able 
just  now  to  pay  so  much  for  this  kind  of  thing,  because 
Caesar  is  certain  to  look  about  him  for  the  things 
that  belonged  to  Julius  Caesar,  Marc  Antony,  Octavi- 
anus,  Augustus,  and  other  great  Romans  who  have 
lived  in  Egypt.  The  old  woman  there  may  bring  the 
spit  after  me.     My  slave  is  waiting  outside,  and  can 


THE     EMPEROR.  213 

hide  it  under  his  chiton  as  far  as  my  kitchen  door,  for 
if  he  carried  it  openly  the  connoisseurs  passing  by  might 
covet  the  priceless  treasure,  and  we  must  protect  our- 
selves from  the  evil  eye." 

The  dealer  laughed,  took  the  little  bottle  into  his 
own  keeping,  gave  the  sword  to  the  old  woman,  and 
then  took  a  friendly  leave  of  the  young  girl. 

As  soon  as  Arsinoe  was  alone,  she  flew  into  the  bed- 
room to  put  on  her  sandals,  threw  her  veil  over  her 
head,  and  hastened  to  the  papyrus  manufactory.  Selene 
must  know  of  the  unexpected  good  fortune  that  had  be- 
fallen her,  and  all  of  them,  and  then  she  would  have  the 
poor  girl  carried  home  in  a  litter,  for  there  were  always 
plenty  for  hire  on  the  quay. 

Things  did  not  always  go  smoothly — very  often  very 
unsmoothly  and  stormily  between  the  sisters,  but  still 
anything  of  importance  that  happened  to  Arsinoe, 
whether  it  were  good  or  evil,  she  must  at  once  tell  Selene. 

Ye  gods  !  what  •  happiness !  She  could  take  her 
place  among  the  daughters  of  the  great  citizens  in  the 
processions,  no  less  richly  apparelled  than  they,  and  still 
there  would  remain  a  nice  little  sum  for  her  father  and 
sister ;  and  the  work  in  the  factory,  the  nasty  dirty  work, 
which  she  hated  and  loathed,  would  be  at  an  end,  it 
was  to  be  hoped,  for  ever. 

The  old  slave  was  still  sitting  on  the  steps  with  the 
children ;  Arsinoe  tossed  them  up  one  after  the  other, 
and  whispered  in  each  child's  ear  : 

"  Cakes  this  evening ! "  and  she  kissed  the  blind 
child's  eyes,  and  said : 

"  You  may  come  with  me,  dear  little  man.  I  will 
find  a  litter  for  Selene  and  put  you  in,  and  you  will  be 
carried  home  like  a  little  prince." 


2  14  THE    EMPEROR. 

The  little  blind  boy  threw  his  arms  up  with  delight, 
exclaiming :     "  Through  the  air,  and  without  falling." 

While  she  was  still  holding  him  in  her  arms,  her 
father  came  up  the  steps  that  led  from  the  rotunda  to 
the  passage,  his  face  streaming  with  heat  and  excite- 
ment ;  and  after  wiping  his  brow  and  panting  to  regain 
his  breath,  he  said  : 

"  Hiram,  the  curiosity-dealer,  met  me  just  outside,, 
with  the  sword  that  belonged  to  Antony;  and  you 
sold  it  to  him  for  two  thousand  drachmae !  you  little 
fool!" 

"  But,  father,  you  would  have  given  the  old  spit  for 
a  pasty  and  a  draught  of  wine,"  laughed  Arsinoe. 

"  I  ?  "  cried  Keraunus.  "  I  would  have  had  three 
times  the  sum  for  that  venerable  relic,  for  which  Caesar 
will  give  its  weight  in  silver;  however,  sold  is  sold. 
And  yet — and  yet,  the  thought  that  I  no  longer  possess 
the  sword  of  Antony,  will  give  me  many  sleepless  nights." 

"  If  this  evening  we  set  you  down  to  a  good  dish  of 
meat,  sleep  will  soon  follow,"  answered  Arsinoe,  and  she 
took  the  handkerchief  out  of  her  father's  hand,  and 
coaxingly  wiped  his  temples,  going  on  vivaciously  :  "  We 
are  quite  rich  folks,  father,  and  will  show  the  other  citi- 
zens' daughters  what  we  can  do." 

"  Now  you  shall  both  take  part  in  the  festival,"  said 
Keraunus,  decidedly.  "  Caesar  shall  see  that  I  shun  no 
sacrifice  in  his  honor,  and  if  he  notices  you,  and  I  bring 
my  complaint  against  that  insolent  architect  before 
him " 

"  You  must  let  that  pass,"  begged  Arsinoe,  "  if  only 
poor  Selene's  foot  is  well  by  that  time." 

"  Where  is  she  ?  " 

"  Gone  out." 


THE    EMPEROR.  21 5 

*'  Then  her  foot  cannot  be  so  very  bad.  She  will 
soon  come  in,  it  is  to  be  hoped." 

''  Probably — I  mean  to  fetch  her  with  a  litter." 

*•  A  litter  ?  "  said  Keraunus,  in  surprise.  "  The  two 
thousand  drachmae  have  turned  the  girl's  head." 

"  Only  on  account  of  her  foot.  It  was  hurting  her 
so  much  when  she  went  out." 

"  Then  why  did  she  not  stay  at  home  ?     As  usual . 
she  has  wasted   an  hour  to  save  a  sesterce,   and  you, 
neither  of  you  have  any  time  to  spare." 

"  I  will  go  after  her  at  once." 

"  No — no,  you  at  any  rate,  must  remain  here,  for  in 
two  hours  the  matrons  and  maidens  are  to  meet  at  the 
theatre." 

"  In  two  hours  !  but  mighty  Serapis,  what  are  we  to 
put  on  ?  " 

"  It  is  your  business  to  see  to  that,"  replied  Ke- 
raunus, "  I  myself  will  have  the  litter  you  spoke  of,  and 
be  carried  down  to  Tryphon,  the  ship-builder.  Is  there 
any  money  left  in  Selene's  box  ?  "  Arsinoe  went  into 
her  sleeping-room,  and  said,  as  she  returned  : 

"  This  is  all — six  pieces  of  two  drachmae." 

"  Four  will  be  enough  for  me,"  replied  the  steward, 
but  after  a  moment's  reflection  he  took  the  whole  half- 
dozen. 

"What  do  you  want  with  the  ship-builder?"  asked 
Arsinoe. 

"  In  the  Council,"  replied  Keraunus,  "  I  was  wor- 
ried again  about  you  girls.  I  said  one  of  my  daughters 
was  ill,  and  the  other  must  attend  upon  her ;  but  this 
would  not  do,  and  I  was  asked  to  send  the  one  who 
was  well.  Then  I  explained  that  you  had  no  mother, 
that  we  iived  a  retired  hfe   for  each  other,  and  that  I 


2l6  THE    EMPEROR. 

could  not  bear  the  idea  of  sending  my  daughter  alone, 
and  without  any  protectress  to  the  meeting-  So  then 
Tryphon  said  that  it  would  give  his  wife  pleasure  to  take 
you  to  the  theatre  with  her  own  daughter.  This  I  half 
accepted,  but  I  declared  at  once  that  you  would  not  go, 
if  your  elder  sister  were  not  better.  I  could  not  give 
any  positive  consent — you  know  why."  "  Oh,  blessings 
on  Antony  and  his  noble  spit ! "  cried  Arsinoe.  "  Now 
everything  is  settled,  and  you  can  tell  the  ship-builder 
we  shall  go.  Our  white  dresses  are  still  quite  good,  but 
a  few  ells  of  new  light  blue  ribbon  for  my  hair,  and  of 
red  for  Selene's,  you  must  buy  on  the  way,  at  Abibaal, 
the  Phoenician's." 

"Very  good." 

"  I  will  see  at  once  to  both  the  dresses — but,  to  be 
sure,  when  are  we  to  be  ready  ?  " 

*•  In\wo  hours." 

"  Then,  do  you  know  what,  dear  old  father  ?  " 

"  mil  ?  " 

"  Our  old  woman  is  half  blind,  and  does  everything 
wrong.  Do  let  me  go  down  to  dame  Doris  at  the 
gate-house,  and  ask  her  to  help  me.  She  is  so  clever 
and  kind,  and  no  one  irons  so  well  as  she  does." 

"  Silence  !  "  cried  the  steward,  angrily,  interrupting 
his  daughter.  "  Those  people  shall  never  again  cross 
my  threshold." 

"  But  look  at  my  hair  ;  only  look  at  the  state  it  is 
in,"  cried  Arsinoe,  excitedly,  and  thrusting  her  fingers 
into  her  thick  tresses  which  she  pulled  into  disorder. 
*'  To  do  that  up  again,  plait  it  with  new  ribbons, 
iron  our  dresses,  and  sew  on  the  brooches — why  the 
Empress'  ladies-maid  could  not  do  all  that  in  two 
hours." 


THE    EMPEROR.  217 

"  Doris  shall  never  cross  this  threshold,"  repeated 
Keraunus,  for  all  his  answer. 

'■'  Then  tell  the  tailor  Hippias  to  send  me  an  assis- 
tant ;  but  that  will  cost  money." 

"  We  have  it,  and  can  pay,"  replied  Keraunus, 
proudly,  and  in  order  not  to  forget  his  commissions  he 
muttered  to  himself  while  he  went  to  get  a  litter : 

"  Hippias  the  tailor,  blue  ribbon,  red  ribbon,  and 
Tryphon  the  ship-builder." 

The  tailor's  nimble  apprentice  helped  Arsinoe  to  ar- 
range her  dress  and  Selene's,  and  was  never  weary  of 
praising  the  sheen  and  silkiness  of  Arsinoe's  hair,  while 
she  twisted  it  with  ribbons,  built  it  up  and  twisted  it  at 
the  back  so  gracefully  with  a  comb,  that  it  fell  in  a  thick 
mass  of  artfully-curled  locks  down  her  neck  and  back. 
When  Keraunus  came  back,  he  gazed  with  justifiable 
pride  at  his  beautiful  child ;  he  was  immensely  pleased, 
and  even  chuckled  softly  to  himself  as  he  laid  out  the 
gold  pieces  which  were  brought  to  him  by  the  curiosity- 
dealer's  servant,  and  set  them  in  a  row  and  counted 
them.  While  he  was  thus  occupied,  Arsinoe  went  up  to 
him  and  asked  laughing :  "  Hiram  has  not  cheated  me 
then  ?"  Keraunus  desired  her  not  to  disturb  him,  and 
added : 

"  Think  of  that  sword,  the  weapon  of  the  great  An- 
tony, perhaps  the  very  one  with  which  he  pierced  his 
own  breast. — Where  can  Selene  be  ?" 

"  An  hour,  an  hour  and  a  half  had  slipped  by,  and 
when  the  fourth  half-hour  was  well  begun,  and  still  his 
eldest  daughter  did  not  return,  the  steward  announced 
that  they  must  set  out,  for  that  it  would  not  do  to  keep 
the  ship-builder's  wife  waiting.  It  was  a  sincere  grief  to 
Arsinoe  to  be  obliged  to  go  without  Selene.     She  had 


2l8  THE    EMPEROR. 

made  her  sister's  dress  look  as  nice  as  her  own,  and  had 
laid  it  carefully  on  the  divan  near  the  mosaic  pavement. 
She  had  taken  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  Never  before 
had  she  been  out  in  the  streets  alone,  and  it  seemed  im- 
possible to  enjoy  anything  without  the  companionship 
and  supervision  of  her  absent  sister.  But  her  father's  as- 
sertion, that  Selene  would  have  a  place  gladly  found  for 
her,  even  later,  among  the  maidens,  reassured  the  girl 
who  was  overflowing  with  joyful  expectation. 

Finally  she  perfumed  herself  a  little  with  the  fragrant 
extract  which  Keraunus  was  accustomed  to  use  before 
going  to  the  council,  and  begged  her  father  to  order 
the  old  slave-woman  to  go  and  buy  the  promised  cakes 
for  the  little  ones  during  her  absence.  The  children  had 
all  gathered  round  her,  admiring  her  with  loud  ohs ! 
and  ahs!  as  if  she  were  some  wondrous  incarnation,  not 
to  be  too  nearly  approached,  and  on  no  account  to  be 
touched.  The  elaborate  dressing  of  her  hair  would 
not  allow  of  her  stooping  over  them  as  usual.  She 
could  only  stroke  little  Helios'  cuds,  saying:  "To- 
morrow you  shall  have  a  ride  in  the  air,  and  perhaps 
Selene  will  tell  you  a  pretty  story  by-and-bye." 

Her  heart  beat  faster  than  usual  as  she  stepped  into 
the  litter,  which  was  wating  for  her  just  in  front  of  the 
gate-house.  Old  Doris  looked  at  her  from  a  distance  with 
pleasure,  and  while  Keraunus  stepped  out  into  the  street 
to  call  a  litter  for  himself,  the  old  woman  hastily  cut  the 
two  finest  roses  from  her  bush,  and  pressing  her  fingers 
to  her  lips  with  a  sly  smile,  put  them  into  the  girl's 
hand. 

Arsinoe  felt  as  if  it  were  in  a  dream  that  she  went  to 
the  ship-builder's  house,  and  from  thence  to  the  theatre, 
and  on  her  way  she  fully  understood,  for  the  first  time, 


THE    EMPEROR.  21^ 

that  alarm  and  delight  may  find  room  side  by  side  in 
a  girl's  mind,  and  that  one  by  no  means  hinders  the 
existence  of  the  other. 

Fear  and  expectation  so  completely  overmastered 
her,  that  she  neither  saw  nor  heard  what  was  going  on 
around  her ;  only  once  she  noticed  a  young  man  with  a 
garland  on  his  head,  who,  as  he  passed  her,  arm  in  arm 
with  another,  called  out  to  her  gaily:  "Long  live 
beauty !" 

From  that  moment  she  kept  her  eyes  fixed  on  her 
lap  and  on  the  roses  dame  Doris  had  given  her.  The 
flowers  reminded  her  of  the  kind  old  woman's  son,  and 
she  wondered  whether  tall  Pollux  had  perhaps  seen  her 
in  her  finery.  That,  she  would  have  liked  very  much; 
and  after  all,  it  was  not  at  all  impossible,  for,  of  course^ 
since  Pollux  had  been  working  at  Lochias  he  must  often 
have  gone  to  his  parents.  Perhaps  even  he  had  himself 
picked  the  roses  for  her,  but  had  not  dared  to  give  them 
to  her  as  her  father  was  so  near. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

But  the  young  sculptor  had  not  been  at  the  gate- 
house when  Arsinoe  went  by.  He  had  thought  of  her 
often  enough  since  meeting  her  again  by  the  bust  of  her 
mother ;  but  on  this  particular  afternoon  his  time  and 
thoughts  were  fully  claimed  by  another  fair  damsel.  Bal- 
billa  had  arrived  at  Lochias  about  noon,  accompanied,  as 
was  fitting,  by  the  worthy  Claudia,  the  not  wealthy  widow 
of  a  senator,  who  for  many  years  had  filled  the  place  of 
lady-in-attendance   and  protecting   companion   to   the 


220  THE    EMPEROR. 

rich  fatherless  and  motherless  girl.  At  Rome,  she  con- 
ducted Balbilla's  household  afifairs  with  as  much  sense 
and  skill  as  satisfaction  in  the  task.  Still  she  was  not 
perfectly  content  with  her  lot,  for  her  ward's  love  of 
travelling,  often  compelled  her  to  leave  the  metropolis,  . 
and  in  her  estimation,  there  was  no  place  but  Rome 
where  life  was  worth  living.  A  visit  to  Baiae  for  bath- 
ing, or  in  the  winter  months  a  flight  to  the  Ligurian  coast, 
to  escape  the  cold  of  January  and  February — these  she 
could  endure ;  for  she  was  certain  there  to  find,  if  not 
Rome,  at  any  rate  Romans ;  but  Balbilla's  wish  to  ven- 
ture in  a  tossing  ship,  to  visit  the  torrid  shores  of  Africa, 
which  she  pictured  to  herself  as  a  burning  oven,  she  had 
opposed  to  the  utmost.  At  last,  however,  she  was 
obliged  to  put  a  good  face  on  the  matter,  for  the  Em- 
press herself  expressed  so  decidedly  her  wish  to  take 
Balbilla  with  her  to  the  Nile,  that  any  resistance  would 
have  been  unduteous.  Still;  in  her  secret  heart,  she 
could  not  but  confess  to  herself  that  her  high-spirited 
and  wilful  foster-child — for  so  she  loved  to  call  Balbilla 
— would  undoubtedly  liave  carried  out  her  purpose 
Avithout  the  Empress'  intervention. 

Balbilla  had  come  to  the  palace,  as  the  reader  knows, 
to  sit  for  her  bust. 

When  Selene  was  passing  by  the  screen  which  con- 
cealed her  playfellow  and  his  work  from  her  gaze,  the 
worthy  matron  had  fallen  gently  asleep  on  a  couch, 
and  the  scul])tor  was  exerting  all  his  zeal  to  convince 
the  noble  damsel  that  the  size  to  which  her  hair  was 
dressed  was  an  exaggeration,  and  that  the  superincum- 
bence  of  such  a  mass  must  disfigure  the  effect  of  the 
delicate  features  of  her  face.  He  implored  her  to  re- 
member in  how  simjile  a  style  the  great  Athenian  mas- 


THE    EMPEROR.  221 

ters,  at  the  best  period  of  the  plastic  arts,  had  taught 
their  beautiful  models  to  dress  their  hair,  and  requested 
her  to  do  her  own  hair  in  that  manner  next  day,  and  to 
come  to  him  before  she  allowed  her  maid  to  put  a  single 
lock  through  the  curling-tongs ;  for  to-day,  as  he  said, 
the  pretty  litde  ringlets  would  fly  back  into  shape,  like  the 
spring  of  a  fibula  when  the  pin  was  bent  back.  Balbilla 
contradicted  him  with  gay  vivacity,  protested  against 
his  desire  to  play  the  part  of  lady's  maid,  and  defended 
her  style  of  hair-dressing  on  the  score  of  fashion. 

"  But  the  fashion  is  ugly,  monstrous,  a  pain  to  one's 
eyes  !"  cried  Pollux.  "  Some  vain  Roman  lady  must 
have  invented  it,  not  to  make  herself  beautiful,  but  to 
be  conspicuous." 

"  I  hate  the  idea  of  being  conspicuous  by  my  ap- 
pearance," answered  Balbilla.  "  It  is  precisely  by  follow- 
ing the  fashion,  however  conspicuous  it  may  be,  that 
we  are  less  remarkable  than  when  we  carefully  dress  far 
more  simply  and  plainly — in  short,  differently  to  what 
it  prescribes.  Which  do  you  regard  as  the  vainer,  the 
fashionably-dressed  young  gentleman  on  the  Canopic 
way,  or  the  cynical  philosopher  with  his  unkempt  hair,  his 
carefully-ragged  cloak  over  his  shoulders,  and  a  heavy 
cudgel  in  his  dirty  hands  ?  " 

"  The  latter,  certainly,"  replied  Pollux.  "  Still  he 
is  sinning  against  the  laws  of  beauty  which  I  desire  to 
win  you  over  to,  and  which  will  survive  every  whim  of 
fashion,  as  certainly  as  Homer's  Iliad  will  survive  the 
ballad  of  a  street-singer,  who  celebrates  the  last  murder 
that  excited  the  mob  of  this  town. — Am  I  the  first  artist 
who  has  attempted  to  represent  your  face  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Balbilla,  with  a  laugh.  "  Five  Roman 
artists  have  already  experimented  on  my  head." 


22  2  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  And  did  any  one  of  their  busts  satisfy  you  ?  " 

"  Not  one  seemed  to  me  better  than  utterly  bad." 

"  And  your  pretty  face  is  to  be  handed  down  to 
posterity  in  five-fold  deformity  ?  " 

"  Ah !  no — I  had  them  all  destroyed." 

"  That  was  very  good  of  them  !  "  cried  Pollux,  eager- 
ly. Then  turning  with  a  very  simple  gesture  to  the 
bust  before  him  he  said  :  "  Hapless  clay,  if  the  lovely 
lady  whom  thou  art  destined  to  resemble  will  not  sacri- 
fice the  chaos  of  her  curls,  thy  fate  will  undoubtedly  be 
that  of  thy  predecessors." 

The  sleeping  matron  was  roused  by  this  speech. 
"  You  were  speaking,"  she  said,  "  of  the  broken  busts 
of  Balbilla  ?  " 

"Yes,"  replied  the  poetess. 

"  And  perhaps  this  one  may  follow  them,"  sighed 
Claudia.  "  Do  you  know  what  lies  before  you  in  that 
case  ?  " 

"  No,  what  ?  " 

"  This  young  lady  knows  something  of  your  art." 

"  I  learnt  to  knead  clay  a  little  of  Aristaeus,"  inter- 
rupted Balbilla. 

"  Aha  !  because  Caesar  set  the  fashion,  and  in  Rome 
it  would  have  been  conspicuous  not  to  dabble  in  sculp- 
ture." 

"  Perhaps." 

"  And  she  tried  to  improve  in  every  bust  all  that 
particularly  displeased  her,"  continued  Claudia. 

"I  only  began  the  work  for  the  slaves 4:o  finish,"  Bal- 
billa threw  in,  interrupting  her  companion.  "  Indeed, 
my  people  became  quite  expert  in  the  work  of  destruc- 
tion." 

"  Then  my  work  may,  at  any  rate,  hope  for  a  short 


THE    EMPEROR. 


223 


agony  and  speedy  death,"  sighed  Pollux.  "  And  it  is 
true — all  that  lives  comes  into  the  world  with  its  end 
already  preordained." 

"  Would  an  early  demise  of  your  work  pain  you 
much?  "  asked  Balbilla. 

"  Yes,  if  I  thought  it  successful ;  not  if  I  felt  it  to  be 
a  failure." 

"Any  one  who  keeps  a  bad  bust,"  said  Balbilla, 
"  must  feel  fearful  lest  an  undeservedly  bad  reputation 
is  handed  down  to  future  generations." 

"  Certainly  !  but  how  then  can  you  find  courage  to 
expose  yourself  for  the  sixth  time  to  a  form  of  calumny 
that  it  is  difficult  to  counteract  ?  " 

"  Because  I  can  have  anything  destroyed  that  I 
choose,"  laughed  the  spoilt  girl.  "  Otherwise  sitting 
still  is  not  much  to  my  taste." 

"  That  is  very  true,"  sighed  Claudia.  "  But  from 
you  I  expect  something  strikingly  good." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Pollux,  "  and  I  will  take  the  ut- , 
most  pains  to  complete  something  that  may  correspond 
to  my  own  expectations  of  what  a  marble  portrait  ought 
to  be,  that  deserves  to  be  preserved  to  posterity." 

"  And  those  expectations  require —  ?  " 

Pollux  considered  for  a  moment,  and  then  he  re- 
plied : 

"  I  have  not  always  the  right  words  at  my  com- 
mand, for  all  that  I  feel  as  an  artist.  A  plastic  present- 
ment, to  satisfy  its  creator,  must  fulfil  two  conditions; 
first  it  must  record  for  posterity  in  forms  of  eternal  re- 
semblance all  that  lay  in  the  nature  of  the  person  it 
represents ;  secondly,  it  must  also  show  to  posterity  what 
the  art  of  the  time  when  it  was  executed,  was  capable 
of" 


224  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  That  is  a  matter  of  course — but  you  are  forgetting 
your  own  share." 

"  My  own  fame  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"  I  work  for  Papias  and  serve  my  art,  and  that  is 
enough  ;  meanwhile  Fame  does  not  trouble  herself  about 
me,  nor  do  I  trouble  myself  about  her." 

"  Still,  you  will  put  your  name  on  my  bust  ?  " 

"Why  not?" 

"  You  are  as  prudent  as  Cicero." 

"  Cicero  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  you  would  hardly  know  old  Tullius'  wise 
remark  that  the  philosophers  who  wrote  of  the  vanity 
of  writers  put  their  names  to  their  books  all  the  same." 

"  Oh  !  I  have  no  contempt  for  laurels,  but  I  will  not 
run  after  a  thing  which  could  have  no  value  for  me,  un- 
less it  came  unsought,  and  because  it  was  my  due." 

"  Well  and  good ;  but  your  first  condition  could  only 
be  fulfilled  in  its  widest  sense  if  you  could  succeed  in 
making  yourself  acquainted  with  my  thoughts  and  feel- 
ings, with  the  whole  of  my  inmost  mind." 

"  I  see  you  and  talk  to  you,"  replied  Pollux. 

Qlaudia  laughed  aloud,  and  said  : 

"  If  instead  of  two  sittings  of  two  hours  you  were  to 
talk  to  her  for  twice  as  many  years  you  would  always 
find  something  new  in  her.  Not  a  week  passes  in  which 
Rome  does  not  find  in  her  something  to  talk  about. 
That  restless  brain  is  never  quiet,  but  her  heart  is  as 
good  as  gold,  and  always  and  everywhere  the  same." 

"  And  did  you  suppose  that  that  was  new  to  me  ?" 
asked  Pollux.  "  I  can  see  the  restless  spirit  of  my 
model  in  her  brow  and  in  her  mouth,  and  her  nature  is 
revealed  in  her  eyes." 


THE    EMPEROR.  225 

,f 

"  And  in  my  snub-nose  ?"  asked  Balbilla. 

"  It  bears  witness  to  your  wonderful  and  whimsical 
notions,  which  astonish  Rome  so  much." 

"Perhaps  you  are  one  more  that  works  for  the 
hammer  of  the  slaves,"  laughed  Balbilla. 

"  And  even  if  it  were  so,"  said  Pollux,  "  I  should 
always  retain  the  memory  of  this  delightful  hour." 

Pontius  the  architect  here  interrupted  the  sculptor, 
begging  Balbilla  to  excuse  him  for  disturbing  the  sitting; 
Pollux  must  immediately  attend  to  some  business  of 
importance,  but  in  ten  minutes  he  would  return  to  his 
work.  No  sooner  were  the  two  ladies  alone,  than  Bal- 
billa rose  and  looked  inquisitively  round  and  about  the 
sculptor's  enclosed  work-room;  but  her  companion 
said: 

"  A  very  poHte  young  man,  this  Pollux,  but  rather 
too  much  at  his  ease,  and  too  enthusiastic." 

"An  artist,"  replied  Balbilla,  andshe  proceeded  to  turn 
over  every  picture  and  tablet  with  the  sculptor's  studies 
in  drawing,  raised  the  cloth  from  the  wax  model  of  the 
Urania,  tried  the  clang  of  the  lute  which  hung  against 
one  of  the  canvas  v/alls,  was  here,  there,  and  every- 
where, and  at  last  stood  still  in  front  of  a  large  clay 
model,  placed  in  a  corner  of  the  studio,  and  closely 
wrapped  in  cloths. 

"  What  may  that  be  ?"  asked  Claudia. 

"  No  doubt  a  half-finished  new  model." 

Balbilla  felt  the  object  in  front  of  her  with  the  tips  of 
her  fingers,  and  said :  "  It  seems  to  me  to  be  a  head. 
Something  remarkable  at  any  rate.  In  these  close- 
covered  dishes  we  sometimes  find  the  best  meat.  Let 
us  unveil  this  shrouded  portrait." 

"  Who  knows  what  it  may  be  ?"  said  Claudia,  as  she 

•    Tfu  Emperor.  I.  15 


2  26      ,  THE    EMPEROR. 

loosened  a  twist  in  the  cloths  which  enveloped  the  bust. 
There  are  often  very  remarkable  things  to  be  seen  in 
such  workshops. 

"  Hey,  what,  it  is  only  a  woman's  head  !  I  can  feel 
it,"  cried  Balbilla. 

**  But  you  can  never  tell,"  the  older  lady  went  on,  un- 
tying a  knot.  "  These  artists  are  such  unfettered,  unac- 
countable beings." 

*'  Do  you  Hft  the  top,  I  will  pull  here,"  and  a 
moment  later  the  young  Roman  stood  face  to  face  with 
the  caricature  which  Hadrian  had  moulded  on  the  pre- 
vious evening,  in  all  its  grimacing  ugliness.  She  recog- 
nized herself  in  it  at  once,  and  at  the  first  moment, 
laughed  loudly,  but  the  longer  she  looked  at  the  dis- 
figured likeness,  the  more  vexed,  annoyed  and  angry 
she  became.  She  knew  her  own  face,  feature 
for  feature,  all  that  was  pretty  in  it,  and  all  that 
was  plain,  but  this  likeness  ignored  everything  in  her 
face  that  was  not  unpleasing,  and  this  it  emphasized 
ruthlessly,  and  exaggerated  with  a  refinement  of  spite- 
fulness.  The  head  was  hideous,  horrible,  and  yet  it  was 
hers.  As  she  studied  it  in  profile,  she  remembered  what 
Pollux  had  declared  he  could  read  in  her  features,  and 
deep  indignation  rose  up  in  her  soul. 

Her  great  inexhaustible  riches,  which  allowed  her 
the  reckless  gratification  of  every  whim,  and  secured 
consideration,  even  for  her  follies,  had  not  availed  to 
preserve  her  from  many  disappointments  which  other 
girls,  in  more  modest  circumstances,  would  have  been 
spared.  Her  kind  heart  and  open  hand  had  often  been 
abused,  even  by  artists,  and  it  was  self-evident  to  her, 
that  the  man  who  could  make  this  caricature,  who  had 
so  enjoyed  exaggerating  all  that  was  unlovely  in  her 


THE    EMPEROR.  227 

face,  had  wished  to  exercise  his  art  on  her  features,  not 
for  her  own  sake,  but  for  that  of  the  high  price  she 
might  be  inclined  to  pay  for  a  flattering  Ukeness.  She 
had  found  much  to  please  her  in  the  young  sculptor's 
fresh  and  happy  artist  nature,  in  his  frank  demeanor  and 
his  honest  way  of  speech.  She  felt  convinced  that  Pol- 
lux, more  readily  than  anybody  else,  would  understand 
what  it  was  that  lent  a  charm  to  her  face,  which  was  in 
no  way  strictly  beautiful,  a  charm  which'  could  not  be 
disputed  in  spite  of  the  coarse  caricature  which  stood 
before  her. 

She  felt  herself  the  richer  by  a  painful  experience,  in- 
dignant, and  offended.  Accustomed  as  she  was  to  give 
prompt  utterance  even  to  her  displeasure,  she  ex- 
claimed hotly,  and  with  tears  in  her  eyes : 

"  It  is  shameful,  it  is  base.  Give  me  my  wraps 
Claudia.  I  will  not  stay  an  instant  longer  to  be  the 
butt  of  this  man's  coarse  and  spiteful  jesting." 

"  It  is  unworthy,"  cried  the  matron,  "  so  to  insult  a 
person  of  your  position.  It  is  to  be  hoped  our  litters 
are  waiting  outside." 

Pontius  had  overheard  Balbilla's  last  words.  He 
had  come  into  the  work-place  without  Pollux,  who  was 
still  speaking  to  the  prefect,  and  he  said  gravely  as  he 
approached  Balbilla: 

"  You  have  every  reason  to  be  angry,  noble  lady. 
This  thing  is  an  insult  in  clay,  malicious,  and  at  the  same 
time  coarse  in  every  detail ;  but  it  was  not  Pollux  who 
did  it,  and  it  is  not  right  to  condemn  without  a 
trial." 

"  You  take  your  friend's  part '."exclaimed  Balbilla. 

"  I  would  not  tell  a  lie  for  my  own  brother." 

"  You  know  how  to  give  your  words  the  aspect  of 

IS  * 


2  28  THE    EMPEROR. 

an  honorable  meaning  in  serious  matters,  as  he  does  in 
jest." 

"  You  are  angry  and  unaccustomed  to  bridle  your 
tongue,"  replied  the  architect.  "  Pollux,  I  repeat  it,  did 
not  perpetrate  the  caricature,  but  a  sculptor  from 
Rome." 

"  Which  of  them  ?     I  know  them  all." 

"  I  may  not  name  him." 

"  There — you  see. — Come  away  Claudia." 

"  Stay,"  said  Pontius,  decisively.  "  If  you  were  any 
one  but  yourself,  I  would  let  you  go  at  once  in  your 
anger,  and  with  the  double  charge  on  your  conscience 
of  doing  an  injustice  to  two  well-meaning  men.  But  as 
you  are  the  granddaughter  of  Claudius  Balbillus,  I  feel 
it  to  be  due  to  myself  to  say,  that  if  Pollux  had  really 
made  this  monstrous  bust  he  would  not  be  in  this  palace 
now,  for  I  should  have  turned  him  out  and  thrown  the 
horrid  object  after  him.  You  look  surprised — you  do» 
not  know  who  I  am  that  can  address  you  so." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  cried  Balbilla,  much  mollified,  for  she 
felt  assured  that  the  man  who  stood  before  her,  as  un- 
flinching as  if  he  were  cast  in  bronze,  and  with  an  earn- 
est frown,  was  speaking  the  truth,  and  that  he  must  have 
some  right  to  speak  to  her  witli  such  unwonted  de- 
cision. "  Yes  indeed,  you  are  the  principal  architect  of 
the  city ;  Titianus,  from  whom  we  have  heard  of  you, 
has  told  us  great  things  of  you ;  but  how  am  I  to  ac- 
count for  your  special  interest  in  me  ?" 

"  It  is  my  duty  to  serve  you — if  necessary,  even 
with  my  life." 

"  You,"  said  Balbilla,  puzzled.  "  But  I  never  saw 
you  till  yesterday." 

"  And  yet  you  may  freely  dispose  of  all  that  I  have 


THE    EMPEROR.  229 

-and  am,  for  my  grandfather  was  your  grandfather's 
slave." 

*'  I  did  not  know" — said  Balbilla,  with  increasing  con- 
fusion. 

"  Is  it  possible  that  your  noble  grandfather's  instruc- 
tor, the  venerable  Sophinus,  is  altogether  forgotten, 
Sophinus,  whom  your  grandfather  freed,  and  who  con- 
tinued to  teach  your  father  also." 

"  Certainly  not — of  course  not,"  cried  Balbilla. 
"  He  must  have  been  a  splendid  man,  and  ver)'  learned 
besides." 

"  He  was  my  father's  father,"  said  Pontius. 

"  Then  you  belong  to  our  family,"  exclaimed  Bal- 
billa, offering  him  a  friendly  hand. 

"  I  thank  you  for  those  words,"  answered  Pontius. 
"  Now,  once  more,  Pollux  had  nothing  to  do  with  that 
image." 

"Take  my  cloak,  Claudia,"  said  the  girl,  "  I  will  sit 
again  to  the  young  man." 

"  Not  to-day — it  would  sppil  his  work,"  repUed  Pon- 
tius. "  I  beg  of  you  to  go,  and  let  the  annoyance  you 
so  vehemently  expressed  die  out  some  where  else.  The 
young  sculptor  must  not  know  that  you  have  seen  this 
caricature,  it  would  occasion  him  much  embarrassment. 
But  if  you  can  return  to-morrow  in  a  calmer  and  more 
happy  humor,  with  your  lively  spirit  tuned  to  a  softer 
key,  then  Pollux  will  be  able  to  make  a  likeness  which 
may  satisfy  the  granddaughter  of  Claudius  Balbillus." 

"And,  let  us  hope,  the  grandson  of  his  learned 
teacher  also,"  answered  Balbilla,  with  a  kindly  farewell 
greeting,  as  she  went  with  her  companion  towards  the 
door  of  the  hall  of  the  Muses,  where  her  slaves  were 
waiting.     Pontius  escorted  her  so  far  in  silence,  then  he 


230  THE    EMPEROR. 

returned  to  the  work-place,  and  safely  wrapped  the  cari- 
cature up  again  in  its  cloths. 

As  he  went  out  into  the  hall  again,  Pollux  hurried 
up  to  meet  him,  exclaiming  : 

"  The  Roman  architect  wants  to  speak  to  you,  he  is 
a  grand  man !  " 

"  Balbilla  was  called  away,  and  bid  me  greet  you," 
replied  Pontius.  "  Take  that  thing  away  for  fear  she 
should  see  it.     It  is  coarse  and  hideous." 

A  few  moments  later  he  stood  in  the  presence  of  the 
Emperor,  who  expressed  the  wish  to  play  the  part  of 
listener  while  Balbilla  was  sitting.  When  the  architect, 
after  begging  him  not  to  let  Pollux  know  of  the  incident, 
told  him  of  what  had  occurred  in  the  screened-off  studio, 
and  how  angry  the  young  Roman  lady  had  been  at  the 
caricature,  which  was  certainly  very  offensive,  Hadrian 
rubbed  his  hands  and  laughed  aloud  with  delight.  Pon- 
tius ground  his  teeth,  and  then  said  very  earnestly : 

"  Balbilla  seems  to  me  a  merry-hearted  girl,  but  of  a 
noble  nature.     I  see  no  reason  to  laugh  at  her." 

Hadrian  looked  keenly  into  the  daring  architect's 
eyes,  laid  his  hand  on  his  shoulder,  and  replied  with  a 
certain  threatening  accent  in  his  deep  voice  : 

"  It  would  be  an  evil  moment  for  you,  or  for  any  one, 
who  should  do  so  in  my  presence.  But  age  may  ven- 
ture to  play  with  edged  tools,  which  children  may  not 
even  touch." 


THE    EMPEROR.  231 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Selene  entered  the  gate-way  in  the  endlessly-long 
walk  of  sun-dried  bricks  which  enclosed  the  wide 
space  where  stood  the  court-yards,  water-tanks  and 
huts,  belonging  to  the  great  papyrus  manufactory  of 
Plutarch,  where  she  and  her  sister  were  accustomed  to 
work.  She  could  generally  reach  it  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  but  to-day  it  had  taken  more  than  four  times  as 
long  and  she  herself  did  not  know  how  she  had  man- 
aged to  hold  herself  up,  and  to  walk — limp — stumble 
along,  in  spite  of  the  acute  pain  she  was  suffering.  She 
would  willingly  have  clung  to  every  passer-by,  have 
held  on  to  every  slow  passing  vehicle,  to  every  beast  of 
burden  that  overtook  her — but  man  and  beast  merci- 
lessly went  on  their  way,  without  paying  any  heed  to 
her.  She  got  many  a  push  from  those  who  were  hurry- 
ing by  and  who  scarcely  turned  round  to  look  at  her,  when 
from  time  to  time  she  stopped  to  sink  for  a  moment  on 
to  the  nearest  door-step,  or  some  low  cornice  or  bale  of 
goods ;  to  dry  her  eyes,  or  press  her  hand  to  her  foot, 
which  was  now  swollen  to  a  great  size,  hoping,  as  she 
did  so,  to  be  able  to  forget,  under  the  sense  of  a  new 
form  of  pain,  the  other  unceasing  and  unendurable  tor- 
ment, at  least  for  a  few  minutes. 

The  street  boys  who  had  run  after  her,  and  laughed 
at  her,  ceased  pursuing  her  when  they  found  Aat  she 
constantly  stopped  to  rest.  A  woman  with  a  child  in 
her  arms  once  asked  her,  as  she  stopped  to  rest  a  minute 
on  a  threshold,  whether  she  wanted  anything,  but  walked 


232  THE    EMPEROR. 

on  when  Selene  shook  her  head  and  made  no  other 
-answer. 

Once  she  thought  she  must  give  up  altogether,  when 
suddenly  the  street  was  filled  with  jeering  boys  and  in- 
quisitive men  and  women — for  Verus,  the  superb  Verus, 
came  by  in  his  chariot,  and  what  a  chariot !  The  Alex- 
andrian populace  were  accustomed  to  see  much  that 
was  strange  in  the  busy  streets  of  their  crowded  city  ; 
but  this  vehicle  attracted  every  eye,  and  excited  aston- 
ishment, admiration  and  mirth,  wherever  it  appeared,  and 
not  unfrequently  the  bitterest  ridicule.  The  handsome 
Roman  stood  in  the  middle  of  his  gilt  chariot,  and  himself 
drove  the  four  white  horses,  harnessed  abreast ;  on  his 
head  he  wore  a  wreath,  and  across  his  breast,  from  one 
shoulder,  a  garland  of  roses.  On  the  foot-board  of  the 
quadriga  sat  two  children,  dressed  as  Cupids;  their 
little  legs  dangled  in  the  air,  and  they  each  held,  attached 
by  a  long  gilt  wire,  a  white  dove  which  fluttered  in  front 
of  Verus. 

The  dense  and  hurrying  crowd,  crushed  Selene  re- 
morselessly against  the  wall;  instead  of  looking  at  the 
wonderful  sight  she  covered  her  face  with  her  hands  to 
hide  the  distortion  of  pain  in  her  features;  still  she  just  saw 
the  splendid  chariot,  the  gold  harness  on  the  horses,  and 
the  figure  of  the  insolent  owner  glide  past  her',  as  if  in  a 
dream  that  was  blurred  by  pain,  and  the  sight  infused 
into  her  soul,  that  was  already  harassed  by  pain  and  anx- 
iety, a  feeling  of  bitter  aversion,  and  the  envious  thought 
that  the  mere  trappings  of  the  horses  of  this  extravagant 
prodigal^vould  suffice  to  keep  her  and  her  family  above 
misery  for  a  whole  year. 

By  the  time  the  chariot  had  turned  the  next  corner, 
and  the  crowd  had  followed  it,  she  had  almost  fallen  to 


THE    EMPEROR.  233 

the  ground.  She  could  not  take  another  step,  and 
looked  round  for  a  litter,  but,  while  generally  there  was 
no  lack  of  them,  in  this  spot,  to-day  there  was  not  one 
to  be  seen.  The  factory  was  only  a  few  hundred  steps 
farther,  but  in  her  fancy  they  seemed  like  so  many 
stadia.  Presently  some  of  the  workmen  and  women 
from  the  factory  came  by,  laughing  and  showing  each 
other  their  wages,  so  the  payment  must  be  now  going 
on.  A  glance  at  the  sun  showed  her  how  long  she  had 
already  been  on  her  way,  and  remined  her  of  the  pur- 
pose of  her  walk. 

With  the  exertion  of  all  her  strength,  she  dragged 
herself  a  few  steps  farther ;  then,  just  as  her  courage 
was  again  beginning  to  fail,  a  little  girl  came  running 
towards  her  who  was  accustomed  to  wait  upon  the 
workers  at  the  table  where  Selene  and  Arsinoe  were 
employed,  and  who  held  in  her  hand  a  pitcher.  She 
called  the  dusky  little  Egyptian,  and  said  : 

"  Hathor,  pray  come  back  to  the  factory  with  me. 
I  cannot  walk  any  farther,  my  foot  is  so  dreadfully  pain- 
ful ;  but  if  I  lean  a  little  on  your  shoulder,  I  shall  get 
on  better." 

"  I  cannot,"  said  the  child.  "  If  I  make  haste  home 
I  shall  have  some  dates,"  and  she  ran  on. 

Selene  looked  after  her,  and  an  inward  voice,  against 
which  she  had  had  to  rebel  before  to-day,  asked  her 
why  she  of  all  people  must  be  a  sufferer  for  others,  when 
they  thought  only  of  themselves,  and  with  a  heavy  sigh, 
she  made  a  fresh  attempt  to  proceed  on  her  way. 

When  she  had  gone  a  few  steps,  neither  seeing  nor 
hearing  anything  that  passed  her,  a  girl  came  up  to  her, 
and  asked  her  timidly,  but  kindly,  what  was  the  matter. 
It  was  a  leaf-joiner  who  sat  opposite  to  her  at  the  works, 


234  THE    EMPEROR. 

a  poor,  deformed  creature,  who,  nevertheless,  pHed  her 
nimble  fingers  contentedly  and  silently,  and  who  at  first 
had  taught  Selene  and  Arsinoe  many  useful  tricks  of 
working.  The  girl  offered  her  crooked  shoulder  un- 
asked as  a  support  to  Selene,  and  measured  her  steps 
to  those  of  the  sufferer  with  as  much  nicety  as  if  she 
felt  everything  that  Selene  herself  did ;  thus,  without 
speaking,  they  reached  the  door  of  the  factory;  there,  in 
the  first  court-yard  the  little  hunchback  made  Selene  sit 
down  on  one  of  the  bundles  of  papyrus-stems  which  lay 
all  about  the  place,  by  the  side  of  the  tanks  in  which 
the  plants  were  dipped  to  freshen  them,  and  arranged  in 
order,  built  up  into  high  heaps,  according  to  the  locali- 
ties whence  they  were  brought.  After  a  short  rest,  they 
went  on  through  the  hall  in  which  the  triangular  green 
stems  were  sorted,  according  to  the  quality  of  the  white 
pith  they  contained.  The  next  rooms,  in  which  men 
stripped  the  green  sheath  from  the  pith,  and  the  long 
galleries  where  the  more  skilled  hands  split  the  pith 
with  sharp  knives  into  long  moist  strips  about  a  finger 
wide,  and  of  different  degrees  of  fineness,  seemed  to 
Selene  to  grow  longer  the  farther  she  went,  and  to  be 
absolutely  interminable. 

Generally  the  pith-splitters  sat  here  in  long  rows, 
each  at  his  own  little  table,  on  each  side  of  a  gangway 
left  for  the  slaves,  who  carried  the  prepared  material  to 
the  drying-house ;  but,  to-day,  most  of  them  had  left 
their  places  and  stood  chatting  together  and  packing  up 
their  wooden  clips,  knives,  and  sharpening-stones.  Half 
way  down  this  room  Selene's  hand  fell  from  her  com- 
panion's shoulder,  she  turned  giddy,  and  said  in  a  low 
tone: 

"  I  can  go  no  farther — " 


THE    EMPEROR.  235 

The  little  hunchback  held  her  up  as  well  as  she 
could,  and  though  she  herself  was  far  from  strong,  she 
succeeded  in  dragging,  rather  than  carrying,  Selene  to 
an  empty  couch  and  in  laying  her  upon  it.  A  few 
workmen  gathered  around  the  senseless  girl,  and 
brought  some  water,  then  when  she  opened  her  eyes 
again,  and  they  found  that  she  belonged  to  the  rooms 
where  the  prepared  papyrus-leaves  were  gummed  to- 
gether, some  of  them  offered  to  carry  her  thither,  and  be- 
fore Selene  could  consent  they  had  taken  up  the  bench 
and  lifted  it  with  its  light  burden.  Her  damaged  foot 
hung  down,  and  gave  the  poor  girl  such  pain  that  she 
cried  out,  and  tried  to  raise  the  injured  limb  and  hold 
her  ankle  in  her  hand ;  her  comrade  helped  by  taking 
the  poor  little  foot  in  her  own  hand,  and  supporting  it 
with  tender  and  cautious  care. 

As  she  thus  went  by,  carried,  as  it  were,  in  triumph 
by  the  men,  and  borne  high  in  the  air,  every  one  turned 
to  look  at  her,  and  the  suffering  girl  felt  this  rather  as  if 
she  were  some  criminal  being  carried  through  the  streets 
to  exhibit  her  disgrace  to  the  citizens.  But  when  she 
found  herself  in  the  large  rooms  where,  in  one  place 
men,  and  in  another  the  most  skilled  of  the  women  and 
girls  were  employed  in  laying  the  narrow  strips  of 
papyrus  crosswise  over  each  other,  and  gumming  them 
together,  she  had  recovered  strength  enough  to  pull  her 
veil  over  her  face  which  she  held  down.  Arsinoe,  and 
she  herself,  in  order  to  remain  unrecognized  had  always 
been  accustomed  to  walk  through  these  rooms  closely 
veiled,  and  not  to  lay  their  wraps  aside  till  they  reached 
the  little  room  where  they  sat  with  about  twenty  other 
women  to  glue  the  sheets  together. 

Every  one  looked  at  her  with  curious  enquiry.    Her 


236  THE    EMPEROR. 

foot  certainly  hurt  her,  the  cut  in  her  head  was  burning, 
and  she  felt  altogether  intensely  miserable;  still  there 
was  room  and  to  spare  in  her  soul  for  the  false  pride 
that  she  inherited  from  her  father,  and  for  the  humilia- 
ting consciousness  that  she  was  regarded  by  these  people 
as  one  of  themselves. 

In  the  room  in  which  she  worked,  none  but  free 
women  were  employed,  but  more  than  a  thousand  slaves 
worked  in  the  factory  and  she  would  as  soon  have  eaten 
with  beasts  without  plate  or  spoon,  as  have  shared  a 
meal  with  them.  At  one  time,  when  every  thing  in 
their  house  seemed  going  to  ruin,  it  was  her  own  father 
who  had  suggested  the  papyrus  factory  to  her  attention, 
by  telhng  her,  with  indignation,  that  the  daughter  of  an 
impoverished  citizen  had  degraded  herself  and  her 
whole  class  by  devoting  herself  to  working  in  the  papy- 
rus factory  to  earn  money.  She  was  pretty  well  paid,  to 
be  sure,  and  in  answer  to  Selene's  enquiry,  he  had  stated 
the  amount  she  earned  and  mentioned  the  name  of  the 
rich  manufacturer  to  whom  she  had  sold  her  social 
standing  for  gold. 

Soon  after  this  Selene  had  gone  alone  to  the  factory, 
had  discussed  all  that  was  necessary  with  the  manager, 
and  had  then  begun,  with  Arsinoe,  to  work  regularly  in 
the  factory  where  they  now  for  two  years  had  spent 
some  hours  of  every  day  in  gumming  the  papyrus- 
leaves  together. 

How  many  a  time  at  the  beginning  of  a  new  week, 
or  when  under  the  influence  of  a  special  fit  of  aversion 
to  her  work,  had  Arsinoe  refused  to  go  with  her  ever 
again  to  the  factory ;  how  much  persuasive  eloquence 
had  she  expended,  how  many  new  ribbons  had  she 
bought,  how  often  had  she  consented  to  allow  her  to  go 


THE    EMPEROR.  237 

to  some  spectacle,  which  consumed  half  a  week's 
wages,  to  induce  Arsinoe  to  persist  in  her  work,  or  to 
avert  the  fulfilment  of  her  threat  to  tell  her  father, 
whither  her  daily  walk — as  she  called  it — tended. 

When  Selene,  who  had  been  carried  as  far  as  the 
door  of  her  own  work-room,  was  sitting  once  more  in 
her  usual  place  in  front  of  the  long  table  on  which  she 
worked,  and  where  hundreds  of  prepared  papyrus  strips 
were  to  be  joined  together,  she  felt  scarcely  able  to 
raise  the  veil  from  her  face.  She  drew  the  uppermost 
sheets  towards  her,  dipped  the  brush  in  the  gum-jar, 
and  began  to  touch  the  margin  of  the  leaf  with  it — ^but 
in  the  very  act,  her  strength  forsook  her,  the  brush  fell 
from  her  fingers,  she  dropped  her  hands  on  the  table 
and  her  face  in  her  hands,  and  began  to  cry  softly. 

While  she  sat  thus,  her  tears  slowly  flowing,  her 
shoulders  heaving,  and  her  whole  body  shaken  with 
shuddering  sobs,  a  woman  who  sat  opposite  to  her, 
beckoned  to  the  deformed  girl,  and  after  whispering  to 
her  a  few  words  grasped  her  hand  firmly  and  warmly 
and  looked  straight  into  her  eyes  with  her  own,  which 
though  lustreless  were  clear  and  steady ;  then  the  little 
hunchback  silently  took  Arsinoe's  vacant  place  by 
Selene,  and  pushed  the  smaller  half  of  the  papyrus 
leaves  over  to  the  woman,  and  both  set  diligently  to 
work  on  the  gumming. 

They  had  been  thus  occupied  for  some  time  when 
Selene  at  last  raised  her  head  and  was  about  to  take  up 
her  brush  again.  She  looked  round  for  it  and  perceived 
her  companion,  whom  she  had  not  even  thanked  for 
her  helpfulness,  busily  at  work  in  Arsinoe's  seat.  She 
looked  at  her  neighbor  with  eyes  still  full  of  tears,  and 
as  the  girl,  who  was  wholly  absorbed  in  her  task,  did  not 


238  THE    EMPEROR. 

notice  her  gaze,  Selene  said  in  a  tone  of  surprise  rather 
than  kindUness. 

"  This  is  my  sister's  place ;  you  may  sit  here  to-day, 
but  when  the  factory  opens  again  she  must  sit  by  me 
again." 

"  I  know,  I  know,"  said  the  workwoman  shyly. 
^'  I  am  only  finishing  your  sheets  because  I  have  no 
more  of  my  own  to  do,  and  I  can  see  how  badly  your 
foot  is  hurting  you." 

The  whole  transaction  was  so  strange  and  novel  to 
Selene  that  she  did  not  even  understand  her  neighbor's 
meaning,  and  she  only  said,  with  a  shrug  : 

"  You  may  earn  all  you  can,  for  aught  I  can  do ;  I 
■cannot  do  anything  to-day." 

Her  deformed  companion  colored  and  looked  up 
doubtfully  at  her  opposite  neighbor,  who  at  once  laid 
aside  her  brush  and  said,  turning  to  Selene : 

''  That  is  not  what  Mary  means,  my  child.  She  is 
doing  one-half  of  your  day's  task  and  I  am  doing  the 
other,  so  that  your  suffering  foot  may  not  deprive  you 
of  your  day's  pay." 

"  Do  I  look  so  very  poor  then  ?"  exclaimed  Kerau- 
nus'  daughter,  and  a  faint  crimson  tinged  her  pale 
cheeks. 

"By  no  means,  my  child,"  replied  the  woman. 
*'  You  and  your  sister  are  evidently  of  good  family — but 
pray  let  us  have  the  pleasure  of  being  of  some  help  to 
you." 

"  I  do  not  know — "  Selene  stammered. 

"  If  you  saw  that  it  hurt  me  to  stoop  when  the  wind 
blows  the  strips  of  papyrus  on  to  the  floor,  would  you 
not  willingly  pick  them  up  for  me  ?"  continued  the 
woman.     •'  What  we  are  doing  for  you  is  neither  less 


THE    EMPEROR.  239 

nor  yet  much  more  than  that.  In  a  few  minutes  we 
shall  have  finished  and  then  we  can  follow  the  others, 
for  every  one  else  has  left.  I  am  the  overseer  of  the 
room,  as  you  know,  and  must  in  any  case  remain  here 
till  the  last  workwoman  has  gone." 

Selene  felt  full  well  that  she  ought  to  be  grateful  for 
the  kindness  shown  her  by  these  two  women,  and  yet 
she  had  a  sense  of  having  a  deed  of  almsgiving  forced 
upon  her  acceptance,  and  she  answered  quickly,  still 
with  the  blood  mounting  to  her  cheeks.  "  I  am  very 
grateful  for  your  good  intentions,  of  course,  very  grate- 
ful; but  here  each  one  must  work  for  herself,  and  it 
would  ill-become  me  to  allow  you  to  give  me  the 
money  you  havfe  earned." 

The  girl  spoke  these  words  with  a  decisiveness 
which  was  not  free  from  arrogance,  but  this  did  not  dis- 
turb the  woman's  gentle  equanimity — "widow  Han- 
nah," as  she  was  called  by  the  workwomen — and  fixing 
the  calm  gaze  of  her  large  eyes  on  Selene,  she  answered 
kindly : 

"  We  have  been  very  happy  to  work  for  you,  dear 
daughter,  and  a  divine  Sage  has  said  that  it  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.  Do  you  understand 
all  that  that  means  ?  In  our  case  it  is  as  much  as  to  say 
that  it  makes  kind-hearted  folks  much  happier  to  do 
others  a  pleasure  than  to  receive  good  gifts.  You  said 
just  now  that  you  were  grateful ;  do  you  want  now  to 
spoil  our  pleasure  ?" 

"  I  do  not  quite  understand — "  answered  Selene. 

**  No  ?"  interrupted  widow  Hannah.  "  Then  only 
try  for  once  to  do  some  one  a  pleasure  with  sincere  and 
heartfelt  love,  and  you  ^vill  see  how  much  good  it  does 
one,  how  it  opens  the  heart  and  turns  every  trouble  to 


240  THE    EMPEROR, 

a  pleasure.  Js  it  not  true  Mary,  we  shall  be  sincerely 
obliged  to  Selene  if  only  she  will  not  spoil  the  pleasure 
we  have  had  in  working  for  her  ?" 

"  I  have  been  so  glad  to  do  it,"  said  the  deformed 
girl,  "  and  there — now  I  have  finished." 

"  And  I  too,"  said  the  widow,  pressing  the  last  leaf 
on  to  its  fellow  with  a  cloth,  and  then  adding  lier  pile 
of  finished  sheets  to  Mary's. 

"Thank  you  very  much,"  murmured  Selene,  with 
downcast  eyes,  and  rising  from  her  seat,  but  she  tried  to 
support  herself  on  her  lame  foot  and  this  caused  her 
such  pain,  that  with  a  low  cry,  she  sank  back  on  the 
stool.  The  widow  hastened  to  her  side,  knelt  down  by 
her,  took  the  injured  foot  with  tender  care  in  her  deli- 
cate and  slender  hands,  examined  it  attentively,  felt  it 
gently,  and  then  exclaimed  with  horror : 

"  Good  Lord !  and  did  you  walk  through  the  streets 
with  a  foot  in  this  state  ?"  and  looking  up  at  Selene  she 
said  affectionately.  "  Poor  child,  poor  child !  it  must 
have  hurt  you  !  Why  the  swelling  has  risen  above  your 
sandal-straps.  It  is  frightful !  and  yet — do  you  live  far 
from  this  ?" 

"  I  can  get  home  in  half  an  hour." 

"  Impossible !  First  let  me  see  on  my  tablets  how 
much  the  paymaster  owes  you  that  I  may  go  and  fetch 
it,  and  then  we  will  soon  see  what  can  be  done  with 
you.  Meanwhile  you  sit  still  daughter  dear,  and  you 
Mary  rest  her  foot  on  a  stool  and  undo  the  straps  very 
gently  from  her  ankle.  Do  not  be  afraid  my  child,  she 
has  soft,  careful  hands."  As  she  spoke  she  rose  and 
kissed  Selene  on  her  forehead  and  eyes,  and  Selene 
clung  to  her  and  could  only  say  with  swimming  eyes, 
and  a  voice  trembling  with  feeling  : 


THE    EMPEROR.  24 1 

"  Dame  Hannah,  dear  widow  Hannah." 

As  the  warm  sunshine  of  an  October  day  reminds 
the  traveller  of  the  summer  that  is  over,  so  the  widow's 
words  and  ways  brought  back  to  Selene  the  long  lost 
love  and  care  of  her  good  mother;  and  something 
soothing  mingled  in  the  bitterness  of  the  pain  she  was 
suffering.  She  looked  gratefully  at  the  kind  woman 
and  obediently  sat  still ;  it  was  such  a  comfort  once 
more  to  obey  an  order,  and  to  obey  willingly — to  feel 
herself  a  child  again  and  to  be  grateful  for  loving 
care. 

Hannah  went  away,  and  Mary  knelt  down  in  front 
of  Selene  to  loosen  and  remove  the  straps  which 
were  half  buried  in  the  swelled  muscles.  She  did  it 
with  the  greatest  caution,  but  her  fingers  had  hardly 
touched  her,  when  Selene  shrank  back  with  a  groan, 
and  before  she  could  undo  the  sandal,  the  patient  had 
fainted  away.  Mary  fetched  some  water  and  bathed 
her  brow,  and  the  burning  wound  in  her  head,  and  by 
the  time  Selene  had  once  more  opened  her  eyes,  dame 
Hannah  had  returned.  When  the  widow  stroked  her 
thick  soft  hair,  Selene  looked  up  with  a  smile  and 
asked :     "  Have  I  been  to  sleep  ?" 

"  You  shut  your  eyes  my  child,"  replied  the  widow. 
"  Here  are  your  wages  and  your  sister's,  for  twelve 
days ;  do  not  move,  I  will  put  it  in  your  little  bag. 
Mary  has  not  succeeded  in  loosening  your  sandal,  but 
the  physician  who  is  paid  to  attend  on  the  factory  peo- 
ple will  be  here  directly,  and  will  order  what  is  proper 
for  your  poor  foot.  The  manager  is  having  a  litter 
fetched  for  you. — Where  do  you  live  ?" 

"  We  ?"  cried  Selene,  alarmed.  "  No,  no,  I  must 
go  home." 

The  Emperor,  I.  16 


242  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  But  my  child  you  cannot  walk  farther  than  the 
court-yard  even  if  we  both  help  you." 

"  Then  let  me  get  a  litter  out  in  the  street.  My 
father — no  one  must  know — I  cannot." 

Hannah  signed  to  Mary  to  leave  them,  and  when 
she  had  shut  the  door  on  the  deformed  girl,  she  brought 
a  stool,  sat  down  opposite  to  Selene,  laid  a  hand  on 
the  knee  that  was  not  hurt,  and  said  : 

"  Now,  dear  girl,  we  are  alone.  I  am  no  chatter- 
box, and  will  certainly  not  betray  your  confidence. 
Tell  me  quietly  who  you  belong  to.  Tell  me — you  be- 
lieve that  I  mean  well  by  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Selene,  looking  the  widow  full  in  the 
face — a  regularly-cut  face,  set  in  abundant  smooth  brown 
hair,  and  with  the  stamp  of  genuine  and  heart-felt  good- 
ness.    "  Yes — you  remind  me  of  my  mother." 

"  Well,  I  might  be  your  mother." 

"  I  am  nineteen  years  old  already." 

"Already,"  replied  Hannah,  with  a  smile.  "Why 
my  life  has  been  twice  as  long  as  yours.  I  had  a  child, 
too,  a  boy ;  and  he  was  taken  from  me  when  he  was 
quite  little.  He  would  be  a  year  older  than  you  now, 
my  child — is  your  mother  still  alive  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Selene,  with  her  old  dry  manner,  that 
had  become  a  habit.  "The  gods  have  taken  her  from 
us.  She  would  have  been,  like  you,  not  quite  forty 
now,  and  she  was  as  pretty  and  as  kind  as  you  are. 
When  she  died  she  left  seven  children  besides  me, 
all  little,  and  one  of  them  blind,  I  am  the  eldest, 
and  do  what  I  can  for  them,  that  they  may  not  be 
starved." 

"  God  will  help  you  in  the  loving  task." 

"The  gods!"   exclaimed  Selene,  bitterly.     "They 


THE    EMPEROR.  243 

let  them  grow  up,  the  rest  I  have  to  see  to — oh !  my 
foot,  my  foot !  " 

"  Yes,  we  will  think  of  that  before  anything  else. 
Your  father  is  alive  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  And  he  is  not  to  know  that  you  work  here  ?  " 
Selene  shook  her  head. 

"  He  is  in  moderate  circumstances,  but  of  good 
family  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Here,  I  think,  is  the  doctor.  Well  ?  May  I 
know  your  father's  name  ?  I  must  if  I  am  to  get  you 
safe  home." 

"  I  am  the  daughter  of  Keraunus,  the  steward  of 
the  palace,  and  we  have  rooms  there,  at  Lochias,"  Se- 
lene answered,  with  rapid  decision,  but  in  a  low  whisper, 
so  that  the  physician,  who  just  then  opened  the  room 
door,  might  not  hear  her.  "  No  one,  and  least  of  all, 
my  father,  must  knov/  that  I  work  here." 

The  widow  made  a  sign  to  her  to  be  easy,  greeted 
the  grey-haired  leech  who  came  in  with  his  assistant; 
and  then,  while  the  old  man  examined  the  injured  limb, 
and  cut  the  straps  with  a  sharp  pair  of  scissors,  she 
bathed  the  girl's  face  and  cut  head  with  a  wet  handker- 
chief, supported  the  poor  child  in  her  arms,  and,  when 
the  pain  seemed  too  much  for  her,  kissed  her  pale 
cheeks. 

Many  sighs  from  the  bottom  of  her  heart,  and  many 
shrill  little  cries  betrayed  how  intense  was  the  pain  Se- 
lene was  enduring.  When  at  length,  her  delicate  and 
graceful  foot — distorted  just  now  by  the  extensive  swell- 
ing— was  freed  from  the  bands  and  straps,  and  the 
ankle  had  been  felt  and  pressed  in  every  direction  by 

16  * 


244  THE     EMPEROR. 

the  leech,  he  exclaimed,  turning  to  the  assistant  who 
stood  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand  : 

"Look  here,  Hippolytus,  the  girl  came  along  the 
streets  with  her  ankle  in  this  state.  If  any  one  else  had 
told  me  of  such  a  thing,  I  should  have  desired  him  to 
keep  his  lies  to  himself.  The  fibula  is  broken  at  the 
joint,  and  with  this  injured  limb  the  child  has  walked 
farther  than  I  could  trust  myself  at  all  without  my  litter. 
By  Sirius  !  child,  if  you  are  not  crippled  for  life  it  will 
be  a  miracle." 

Selene  had  listened  with  closed  eyes,  and  exhausted 
almost  to  unconsciousness ;  but  at  his  last  words  she 
slightly  shrugged  her  shoulders  with  a  faint  smile  of 
scorn  on  her  lips. 

"  You  think  nothing  of  being  lame  !  "  said  the  old 
man,  who  let  no  gesture  of  his  patient  escape  him. 
"  That,  of  course,  is  your  affair,  but  it  is  mine  to  see 
that  you  do  not  become  a  cripple  in  my  hands.  The 
opportunity  for  working  a  miracle  is  not  given  to  one 
of  us  every  day,  and  happily  for  me,  you  yourself  bring 
a  powerful  coadjutor  to  help  me.  I  do  not  mean  a 
lover  or  anything  of  that  kind,  though  you  are  much  too 
pretty,  but  your  lovely,  vigorous,  healthy  youth.  The 
hole  in  your  head  is  hotter  than  it  need  be — keep  it 
properly  cool  with  fresh  water.  Where  do  you  live, 
child  ?  " 

"  Almost  half  an  hour  from  here,"  said^  Hannah, 
answering  for  Selene. 

"  She  cannot  be  taken  so  far  as  that,  even  in  a  Utter, 
at  present,"  said  the  old  man. 

*'  I  must  go  home ! "  cried  Selene,  resolutely,  and 
trying  to  sit  up. 

**  Nonsense,"   exclaimed    the   physician.     "  I  must 


THE    EMPEROR.  -     245 

forbid  your  moving  at  all.  Lie  still,  and  be  patient  and 
obedient,  or  your  foolish  joke  will  come  to  a  bad  end  ; 
fever  has  already  set  in,  and  it  will  increase  by  the  even- 
ing. It  has  nothing  much  to  do  with  the  leg,  but  all 
the  more  with  the  inflamed  scalp-wound.  Do  you 
think,"  he  added,  turning  to  the  widow,  "  that  perhaps 
a  bed  could  be  made  here  on  which  she  might  lie,  and 
remain  here  till  the  factory  reopens  ?  " 

"  I  would  rather  die,"  shrieked  Selene,  trying  to 
draw  away  her  foot  from  the  leech. 

"  Be  still — be  still,  my  dear  child,"  said  the  good 
woman,  soothingly.  "  I  know  where  I  can  take  you. 
My  house  is  in  a  garden  belonging  to  Paulina,  the 
widow  of  Pudeus,  near  this  and  close  to  the  sea ;  it  is 
not  above  a  thousand  paces  off,  and  there  you  will  have 
a  soft  couch  and  tender  care.  A  good  litter  is  waiting, 
and  I  should  think " 

"  Even  that  is  a  good  distance,"  said  the  old  man. 
■"  However,  she  cannot  possibly  be  better  cared  for  than 
by  you,  dame  Hannah.  Let  us  try  it  then,  and  I  will 
accompany  you  to  lash  those  accursed  bearers'  skins  if 
they  do  not  keep  in  step." 

Selene  made  no  attempt  to  resist  these  orders,  and 
willingly  drank  a  potion  which  the  old  man  gave 
her ;  but  she  cried  to  herself  as  she  was  lifted  into  the 
litter  and  her  foot  was  carefully  propped  on  pillows. 

In  the  street,  which  they  soon  reached  through  a 
side  door,  she  again  almost  lost  consciousness,  and  half 
awake  but  half  as  in  a  dream,  she  heard  the  leech's 
voice  as  he  cautioned  the  bearers  to  walk  carefully,  and 
saw  the  people,  and  vehicles,  and  horsemen  pass  her  on 
their  way.  Then  she  saw  that  she  was  being  carried 
through  a  large  garden,  and  at  last  she  dimly  perceived 


246  THE    EMPEROR. 

that  she  was  being  laid  on  a  bed.  From  that  moment 
every  thing  was  merged  in  a  dream,  though  the  frequent 
convulsions  of  pain  that  passed  over  her  features  and 
now  and  then  a  rapid  movement  of  her  hand  to  the  cut 
in  her  head,  showed  that  she  was  not  altogether 
oblivious  to  the  reality  of  her  sufferings. 

Dame  Hannah  sat  by  the  bed,  and  carried  out  the 
physician's  instructions  with  exactness ;  he  himself  did 
not  leave  his  patient  till  he  tvas  perfectly  satisfied  with 
her  bed  and  her  position.  Mary  stayed  with  the 
widow  helping  her  to  wet  handkerchiefs  and  to  make 
bandages  out  of  old  linen. 

When  Selene  began  to  breathe  more  calmly  Hannah 
beckoned  her  assistant  to  come  close  to  her  and  asked 
in  a  low  voice. 

"  Can  you  stay  here  till  early  to-morrow,  we  must 
take  it  in  turns  to  watch  her,  most  likely  for  several 
nights — ^how  hot  this  wound  on  her  head  is  !" 

"  Yes,  I  can  stay,  only  I  must  tell  my  mother  that 
she  may  not  be  frightened." 

"  Quite  right,  and  then  you  may  undertake  another 
commission  for  I  cannot  leave  the  poor  child  just 
now." 

"  Her  people  will  be  anxious  about  her." 

"That  is  just  where  you  must  go;  but  no  one  be- 
sides us  two  must  know  who  she  is.  Ask  for  Selene's 
sister  and  tell  her  what  has  happened ;  if  you  see  her 
father  tell  him  that  I  am  taking  care  of  his  daughter, 
and  that  the  physician  strictly  forbids  her  moving  or 
being  moved.  But  he  must  not  know  that  Selene  is 
one  of  us  workers,  so  do  not  say  a  word  about  the 
factory  before  him.  If  you  find  neither  Arsinoe  nor 
her  father  at  home,  tell  any  one  that  opens  the  door  to 


THE    EMPEROR.  247 

you  that  I  have  taken  tlie  sick  child  in,  and  did  it 
gladly.  But  about  the  workshop,  do  your  hear,  not  a 
word.  One  thing  more,-  the  poor  girl  would  never 
have  come  down  to  the  factory  in  spite  of  such  pain, 
unless  her  family  had  been  very  much  in  need  of  her 
wages;  so  just  give  these  drachmae  to  some  one  and 
say,  as  is  perfectly  true,  that  we  found  them  about  her 
person." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Plutarch  was  one  of  the  richest  citizens  of  Alex- 
andria, and  the  owner  of  the  papyrus  manufactory 
where  Selene  and  Arsinoe  worked ;  and  he  had  of  his 
own  free  will  offered  to  provide  for  the  "  suitable"  en- 
tertainment of  the  wives  and  daughters  of  his  fellow- 
citizens,  who  were,  this  very  day,  to  assemble  in  one  of 
the  smaller  theatres  of  the  city.  Every  one  that  knew 
him,  knew  too  that  "  suitable"  with  him  meant  as 
much  as  to  say  imperial  splendor. 

The  ship-builder's  daughter  had  prepared  Arsinoe 
for  grand  doings,  but  by  the  time  she  had  reached  the 
entrance  only  of  the  theatre  her  expectations  were  ex- 
ceeded, for  as  soon  as  she  gave  her  father's  name  and 
her  own,  a  boy,  who  looked  out  from  an  arbor  of 
flowers  gave  her  a  magnificent  bunch  of  flowers,  and  an- 
other, who  sat  perched  on  a  dolphin,  handed  her,  as  a 
ticket  of  admission,  a  finely-cut  ornament  of  ivory 
mounted  in  gold,  with  a  pin,  by  which  the  invited 
owner  was  intended  to  fix  it  like  a  brooch  in  her 
peplum;    and   at   each    entrance   to    the   theatre,   the 


248  THE    KMPEROR. 

ladies,  as  they  came  in,  had  a  similar  present  made 
them. 

The  passage  leading  to  the  auditorium  was  full  of 
perfume,  and  Arsinoe,  who  had  already  visited  this 
theatre  two  or  three  times,  hardly  recognized  it,  it  was 
so  gaily  decorated  with  colored  scarfs.  And  who  had 
ever  seen  ladies  and  young  girls  filling  the  best  places 
instead  of  men,  as  was  the  case  to-day  ?  Indeed  the 
citizens'  daughters  were  in  general  not  permitted  to  see 
a  theatrical  peformance  at  all,  unless  on  very  special 
and  exceptional  occasions.  She  looked  up  with  a  smile 
at  the  empty  topmost  rows  of  the  cheapest  seats  of  the 
semicircular  auditorium,  as  one  looks  at  an  old  play- 
fellow one  had  outgrown  by  a  head,  for  it  was  there — 
when  she  had  occasionally  been  permitted  to  dip  into 
their  scanty  common  purse — that  she  had  almost  fainted 
many  a  time,  with  pleasure,  fear,  or  sympathy,  though 
the  draught  so  high  up  and  under  the  open  heaven 
which  was  the  only  roof,  was  incessantly  blowing ;  and 
in  summer  the  discomforts  were  even  greater  from  the 
awning  which  shaded  the  amphitheatre  on  the  sunny 
side.  The  wide  breadths  of  canvas  were  managed  by 
means  of  stout  ropes,  and  when  these  were  pulled 
through  the  rings  they  rode  in,  they  made  a  screech 
which  compelled  the  bearer  to  stoj)  his  ears  ;  and  often 
it  was  necessary  to  duck  his  head  not  to  be  hit  by  the 
heavy  ropes  or  by  the  awning  itself.  But  Arsinoe  only 
remembered  these  things  tO-day  as  a  butterfly  sporting 
in  the  sun  may  remember  the  hideous  pupa-case  that 
it  has  burst  and  left  behind  it. 

Radiant  with  happy  excitement,  she  was  led  to  her 
seat  with  her  young  companion,  the  black-haired  daughter 
of  the  shipwright.     She  perceived  indeed  that  numerous 


THE    E-MPEROR.  249 

eyes  turned  upon  her,  but  that  only  added  to  her  pleas- 
ure, for  she  knew  that  she  could  well  bear  lookmg  at, 
and  there  could  be  no  greater  pleasure,  as  she  thought, 
than  to  give  pleasure  to  a  multitude. 

To-day  at  any  rate  !  For  those  who  were  looking 
at  her  were  the  chief  citizens  of  Alexandria;  they  stood 
on  the  stage,  and  among  them  stood  kind  tall  Pollux, 
waving  his  hand  to  her.  She  could  not  keep  her  feet 
quiet,  but  she  did  contrive  to  keep  her  arms  still  by 
crossing  them  in  front  of  her,  so  that  they  might  not  be- 
tray how  excited  she  was. 

This  distribution  of  parts  had  already  begun,  for,  by 
wa,iting  for  Selene,  she  had  come  in  almost  half  an  hour 
too  late.  As  soon  as  she  saw  that  the  eyes  that  had 
been  attracted  to  herself  as  she  entered  the  theatre  had 
turned  to  other  objects  she  herself  looked  round  her. 
She  was  sitting  on  a  bench  at  the  lowest  and  narrowest 
end  of  one  of  the  wedge-shaped  sections  of  seats,  which 
grew  wider  at  the  upper  end,  and  which  were  divided 
from  each  other  by  gangways  for  those  who  came  and 
went,  thus  forming  the  semicircular  area  of  the  audi- 
torium. 

Here  she  was  surrounded  only  by  young  girls  and 
women  who  were  to  have  a  part  or  place  in  the  per- 
formances. The  places  for  these  interested  persons 
Avere  divided  from  the  stage  by  a  space  for  the  orches- 
tra, whence  the  stage  was  easily  reached  by  steps  up 
which  the  chorus  were  wont  to  mount  to  it. 

Behind  Arsinoe,  in  the  larger  circular  rows,  sat  the 
parents  and  husbands  of  the  performers,  among  whom 
Keraunus,  in  his  saffron  robe,  had  taken  a  place,  besides 
a  considerable  number  of  sight-loving  matrons  and  older 
citizens  who  had  accepted  Plutarch's  invitation. 


250  THE    EMPEROR. 

Among  tlie  young  women  and  girls  Arsinoe  saw 
several  whose  beauty  struck  her,  but  she  admired  them 
ungrudgingly,  and  it  never  came  into  her  head  to  com- 
pare herself  with  them,  for  she  knew  very  accurately 
that  she  was  pretty,  and  that  even  here  she  had  nothing 
to  conceal,  and  this  was  enough  for  her. 

The  many-voiced  hum  which  incessantly  buzzed  in 
her  ears,  and  the  perfume  Avhich  rose  from  the  attar  in 
the  orchestra  had  something  intoxicating  in  them.  Her 
gaze  round  the  assembled  multitude  could  not  disturb 

-  any  one,  and  her  companion  had  found  some  friends 
with  whom  she  was  chattering  and  laughing.  Other 
ladies  and  young  girls  sat  staring  silently  in  front  of 
them,  or  studying  the  appearance  of  the  rest  of  the  audi- 
ence, male  and  female  ;  while  others  again  concentrated 
their  whole  attention  on  the  stage.  Arsinoe  soon  fol- 
lowed this  example,  nor  was  this  solely  on  account  of 
Pollux  who,  l.)y  the  prefect's  orders,  had  been  enlisted 
among  the  artists  to  whom  the  arrangement  of  the  dis- 
play was  entrusted, in  spite  of  the  objections  of  his  mas- 
ter Papias.  More  than  once  before  had  she  seen  the  af- 
ternoon sun  shine  as  brightly  into  the  theatre  as  it  did 
to-day,  and  the  blue  sky  overarching  it  without  a  cloud, 

•  but  with  what  different  feelings  did  she  now  direct  her 
gaze  to  the  raised  level  behind  the  orchestra.  The  back- 
ground, it  is  true,  was  the  same  as  usual,  the  pillared 
front  of  a  palace  built  entirely  of  colored  marbles,  and 
ornamented  with  gold ;  but  oii  this  occasion  fresh  gar- 
lands of  fragrant  flowers  hung  gracefully  between  the 
pilasters  and  across  from  column  to  column.  Several 
artists,  the  first  of  the  city,  with  tablets  and  styla  in  their 
hands  were  moving  about  among  fifty  girls  and  ladies, 
and  Plutarch  himself,  and  the  gentlemen  with  him,'com- 


THE    EMPEROR.  251 

posed,  as  it  were  a  grand  chorus  which  sometimes 
divided,  and  sometimes  stood  all  together. 

On  the  right  side  of  the  stage  were  three  purple- 
covered  couches.  On  one  of  them  sat  Titianus,  the 
prefect,  who,  like  the  artists,  used  his  pencil ;  with  him 
was  his  wife  Julia.  On  another  reclined  Verus,  at  full 
length,  and  as  usual,  crowned  with  roses;  the  third  was 
for  Plutarch,  but  was  unoccupied.  The  praetor  did  not 
hesitate  to  interrupt  any  speaker,  as  though  he  were  the 
host  of  the  entertainment,  and  many  of  his  remarks  were 
followed  by  loud  applause,  or  approving  laughter. 

The  face  and  figure  of  the  wealthy  Plutarch,  which 
could  never  be  forgotten,  were  not  altogether  strange  to 
Arsinoe,  for,  a  few  days  previously  he  had  shown  him- 
self for  the  first  time  in  many  years  in  his  papyrus  fac- 
tory, with  an  architect  to  settle  with  him  how  the  courts 
and  rooms  could  best  be  cleaned  and  decorated  for  the 
reception  of  the  Emperor;  and  on  this  occasion  he  had 
gone  into  the  room  where  she  worked  and  had  pinched 
her  cheek  with  a  few  roguish  and  flattering  words. 

There  he  was,  walking  across  the  stage.  He  was  an 
old  man,  said  to  be  about  seventy  years  of  age,  his  legs 
were  half-paralyzed,  and  they  nevertheless  moved  with 
a  series  of  incessant  and  rapid  but  unvoluntary  jerks 
under  his  heavy  bowed  body,  and  he  was  supported  on 
either  hand  by  a  tall  young  fellow.  His  nobly-formed 
head,  must  have  been  in  his  youth,  of  extraordinary 
beauty.  Now  his  head  was  covered  by  a  wig  of  long 
brown  hair,  his  eyebrows  and  lashes  were  darUly  dyed, 
his  cheeks  daubed  with  red  and  white  paint,  which  gave 
his  countenance  a  fixed  expression,  as  if  he  had  been 
stricken  in  the  very  act  of  smiling.  On  his  curls  he 
wore  a  wreath  of  rare  flowers  in  long  racemes.     An. 


252  THE    EMPEROR. 

abundance  of  red  and  white  roses  stuck  out  from  the 
front  folds  of  his  ample  toga,  and  were  held  in  their 
place  by  gold  brooches,  sparkling  with  precious  stones 
of  large  size.  The  hems  of  his  mantle  were  all  edged 
with  rose-buds,  and  each  was  fastened  in  with  an  emer- 
ald that  shone  like  some  bright  insect.  The  young 
men  who  supported  him  seemed  like  a  portion  of  him- 
self; he  took  no  more  heed  of  them  than  if  they  had 
been  crutches,  and  they  needed  not  command  to  tell 
them  where  he  wished  to  go,  where  to  stand  still,  and 
where  to  rest. 

At  a  distance  his  face  was  like  that  of  a  youth,  but 
seen  close  it  looked  like  a  painted  plaster  mask,  with 
regular  features  and  large  movable  eyes. 

Favorinus,  the  sophist,  had  said  of  him  that  one 
might  cry  over  his  handsome  locomotive  corpse,  if  one 
were  not  obliged  to  laugh  at  it,  and  it  was  said  that  he 
had  himself  declared  that  he  would  force  his  faithless 
youth  to  remain  with  him.  The  Alexandrians  called 
him  the  Adonis  with  six  legs,  on  account  of  the  lads 
who  supported  him,  and  without  whom  no  one  ever 
^aw  him  and  who  always  accompanied  him  when  he 
went  out.  The  first  time  he  heard  this  nickname  he 
remarked :  "  They  had  better  have  called  me  six- 
handed  ;"  and  in  fact  he  had  a  thoroughly  good  heart, 
he  was  liberal  and  benevolent,  took  fatherly  care  of  his 
work-people,  treated  his  slaves  well,  enriched  those 
whom  he  set  free,  and  from  time  to  time  distributed  large 
■sums  among  the  people  in  money  and  in  grain. 

Arsinoe  looked  compassionately  on  the  poor  old 
man  who  could  not  buy  back  his  youth  with  all  his 
money  and  all  his  art. 

In  the  supercilious  man  who  at  once  came  up  to  Plu- 


THE    EMPEROR.  255 

tarch  she  recognized  the  art-dealer  Gabinius  to  whom 
her  father  had  shown  the  door,  on  account  of  the  mosaic 
picture  in  their  sitting-room,  but  their  conversation  was 
interrupted,  for  the  distribution  of  the  women's  part  for 
the  group  of  Alexander's  entry  into  Babylon,  was  now 
about  to  take  place ;  about  fifty  girls  and  young  women 
were  sent  away  from  the  stage  and  went  down  into  th-e 
orchestra.  The  Exegetes,  the  highest  official  in  the  town, 
now  came  forward  and  took  a  new  list  out  of  the  hand  of 
Papias  the  sculptor.  After  rapidly  casting  an  eye  on 
this,  he  handed  it  to  a  herald  who  followed  him,  who 
proclaimed  to  all  the  assembly  : 

*'  In  the  name  of  the  most  noble  Exegetes  I  request 
your  attention,  all  you  ladies  here  assembled,  the  wives 
and  daughters  of  Macedonians  and  of  Roman  citizens. 
We  now  come  to  a  distribution  of  the  characters  in  our 
representation  of  the  life  and  history  of  the  great  Mace- 
donian, of  the  '  Marriage  of  Alexander  and  Roxana,' 
and  I  hereby  request  those  among  you  to  come  upon 
the  stage  whom  our  artists  have  selected  to  take  part  in 
this  scene  in  the  procession."  After  this  exordium  he 
shouted  in  a  deep  and  resonant  voice  a  long  list  of 
names,  and  while  this  was  going  on  every  other  sound 
was  hushed  in  the  wide  amphitheatre. 

Even  on  the  stage  all  was  still ;  only  Verus  whispered 
a  few  remarks  to  Titianus,  and  the  curiosity-dealer  spoke 
into  Plutarch's  ear,  long  sentences  with  the  stringent 
emphasis  which  was  peculiar  to  him ;  and  the  old  man 
answered  sometimes  with  an  assenting  nod,  and  some- 
times with  a  deprecatory  motion  of  his  hands. 

Arsinoe  listened  with  suspended  breath  to  the 
herald's  proclamation ;  she  started  and  colored  all  over, 
with  her  e^es  fixed  on  the  bunch  of  flowers  in  her  hand. 


2  54  THE     EMPEROR. 

when  she  heard  from  the  stage  loudly  uttered  and  plain 
to  be  heard  by  all  present : 

"  Arsinoe,  the  second  daughter  of  Keraunus,  the 
Macedonian  and  a  Roman  citizen." 

The  ship-builder's  daughter  had  already  been  called 
"before  her,  and  had  immediately  left  her  seat,  but  Ar- 
sinoe waited  modestly  till  some  older  ladies  rose.  She 
then  joined  them  and  went  among  the  last  members  of 
the  little  procession  which  went  down  to  the  orchestra 
and  from  thence  up  the  steps  for  the  chorus,  on  to  the 
stage. 

There  the  ladies  and  young  girls  were  placed  in  two 
ranks,  and  looked  at  with  amiable  consideration  by  the 
artists.  Arsinoe  was  not  long  in  perceiving  that  these 
gentlemen  looked  at  her  longer  and  more  often  than  at 
the  others ;  and  then,  after  the  masters  of  the  festival 
had  gone  aside  in  groups  to  discuss  the  matter  they 
looked  at  her  constantly  and  were  talking,  she  felt  sure, 
about  her.  Nor  did  it  escape  her  that  she  had  become 
the  centre  of  many  glances  from  the  lookers-on  who 
were  sitting  in  the  theatre,  and  it  occurred  to  her  that  on 
several  sides  people  were  pointing  at  her  with  their  fin- 
gers. She  did  not  know  which  way  she  should  look  and 
Degan  to  feel  bashful ;  still  she  was  pleased  at  being  re- 
marked by  so  many  people,  and  as  she  stood  looking  at 
the  ground  out  of  sheer  embarrassment  to  hide  the  de- 
light she  felt,  Verus,  who  had  gone  up  to  the  group  of 
artists,  called  out,  putting  his  hand  on  the  prefect's 
arm. 

"  Charming — charming  !  a  Roxana  that  might  have 
sprung  straight  out  of  the  picture." 

Arsinoe  heard  these  words,  and  guessing  that  they  re- 
ferred to  her   she  became  more  confused#than   ever, 


THE    EMPEROR.  255 

while  her  awkward  smile  gradually  changed  to  an  ex- 
pression of  joyful  but  anxious  expectation  of  a  delight 
which  was  almost  painful  in  its  magnitude. 

Now  one  of  the  artists  pronounced  her  name,  and 
as  she  ventured  to  raise  her*  eyes  to  see  if  it  were  not 
Pollux  who  had  spoken,  she  observed  the  wealthy 
Plutarch  who,  with  his  two  living  crutches  and  Gabi- 
nius,  the  lean  curiosity-dealer,  was  inspecting  the  ranks 
of  her  companions.  Presently  he  had  come  quite  close 
to  her,  and  as  he  was  helped  towards  her  with  tottering 
steps,  he  dug  the  dealer  in  the  ribs  and  said,  kissing  the 
back  of  his  hand,  and  winking  his  great  eyes  :  "  I  know 
— I  know  !  It  is  not  easily  forgotten.  Ivory  and  red 
coral !  " 

Arsinoe  started,  the  blood  left  her  cheeks,  and  all 
satisfaction  fled  from  her  heart  when  the  old  man  came 
to  a  stand-still  in  front  of  her,  and  said  kindly: 

"Ah  !  ah!  a  bud  out  of  the  papyrus  factory  among 
all  these  proud  roses  and  lilies.  Ah !  ah !  out  of  my 
work-rooms  to  join  my  assembly  !  Never  mind — never 
mind,  beauty  is  everywhere  welcome.  I  do  not 
ask  how  you  got  here.  I  am  only  glad  that  you  are 
here." 

Arsinoe  covered  part  of  her  face  with  her  hand,  but 
he  tapped  her  white  arm  three  times  with  his  middle 
finger,  and  then  tottered  on  laughing  to  himself  The 
dealer  had  caught  Plutarch's  words,  and  asked  him, 
when  they  had  gone  a  few  steps  from  Arsinoe,  with 
eager  indignation : 

"  Did  I  hear  you  rightly  ?  a  workwoman  in  your 
factory,  and  here  among  our  daughters  ?  " 

"  So  it  is — two  busy  hands  among  so  many  idle 
ones,"  sai#  the  old  man,  gaily. 


256  THE     EMPEROR. 

"Then  she  must  have  forced  her  way  in,  and  must 
be  turned  out." 

"  Certainly  she  shall  not. —  Why,  she  is  charm- 
ing." 

"  It  is  revolting  !  here,  in  this  assembly  !  " 

"  Revolting  ?  "  interrupted  Plutarch.  "  Oh  dear, 
no !  we  must  not  be  too  particular.  And  how  are  we  to 
obtain  mere  children  from  you  antiquity-mongers  ?  " 
Then  he  added  pleasantly : 

"  This  lovely  creature  must  I  should  think,  delight 
your  fine  sense  of  beauty;  or  are  you  afraid  that  she  may 
seem  better  suited  to  the  part  of  Roxana  than  your  own 
charming  daughter  ?  Only  listen  to  the  men  up  there ! 
Let  us  see  what  is  going  on." 

These  words  referred  to  a  loud  discussion  which  had 
arisen  close  by  the  couches  of  the  prefect  and  Verus, 
the  praetor.  They,  and  with  them  most  of  the  painters 
and  sculptors  present,  were  of  o]">inion  that  Arsinoe 
would  be  a  wonderfully  effective  Roxana ;  they  main- 
tained that  her  face  and  figure  answered  perfectly  to 
those  of  the  Bactrian  princes  as  they  were  represented 
by  Action,  whose  picture  was,  to  a  certain  extent,  to 
serve  as  the  basis  of  the  living  group.  Only  Papias  and 
two  of  his  fellow-artists,  declared  against  this  choice, 
and  eagerly  asserted  that  among  all  the  damsels  present 
one,  and  one  alone,  was  worthy  to  appear  before  the 
Emperor  as  Alexander's  bride,  and  that  one  was 
Praxilla,  the  daughter  of  Gabinius.  All  three  were  in 
close  business  relations  with  the  father  of  the  young  girl, 
who  was  tall,  and  slim,  and  certainly  very  lovely,  and  they 
wanted  to  do  a  pleasure  to  the  rich  and  knowing  pur- 
chaser. Their  zeal  even  assumed  a  tone  of  vehemence, 
when  the  dealer,  following  in  the  wake  %£  Plutarch, 


THE    EMPEROR,  257 

joined  the  group  of  disputants,  and  they  were  certain  of 
being  heard  by  him. 

"  And  who  is  this  girl  yonder  ?"  asked  Papias,  point- 
ing to  Arsinoe,  as  the  two  came  up.  "  Nothing  can  be 
said  against  her  beauty,  but  she  is  dressed  less  than 
simply,  and  wears  no  kind  of  ornament  worth  speaking 
of — it  is  a  thousand  to  one  against  her  parents  being  in 
a  position  to  provide  her  with  such  a  rich  dress,  and 
such  costly  jewels  as  Roxana  certainly  ought  to  display 
when  about  to  be  married  to  Alexander.  The  Asiatic 
princess  must  appear  in  silk,  gold  and  precious  stones. 
Now  my  friend  here  will  be  able  so  to  dress  his  Praxilla 
that  the  splendor  of  her  attire  might  have  astonished 
the  great  Macedonian  himself,  but  who  is  the  father  of 
that  pretty  child  who  is  satisfied  with  the  blue  ribbon 
in  her  hair,  her  two  roses,  and  her  little  white  frock  ?  " 

"  Your  reflections  are  just,  Papias,"  interrupted  the 
dealer,-  with  dry  incisiveness.  "  The  girl  you  are  speak- 
ing of  is  quite  out  of  the  question.  I  do  not  say  so  for 
my  daughter's  sake,  but  because  everything  in  bad  taste 
is  odious  to  me ;  it  is  hardly  conceivable  how  such  a 
young  thing  could  have  had  the  audacity  to  force  her- 
self in  here.  A  pretty  face,  to  be  sure,  opens  locks  and 
bars.  She  is — do  not  be  too  much  startled — she  is 
nothing  more  than  a  work-girl  in  the  papyrus  factory  of 
our  excellent  host,  Plutarch." 

"  That  is  not  the  trutli,"  Pollux  interrupted,  indig- 
nantly, as  he  heard  this  assertion. 

"  Moderate  your  tongue,  young  man,"  replied  the 
dealer.     "  I  can  call  you  to  witness,  noble  Plutarch." 

"  Let  her  be  whom  she  may,"  answered  the  old 
man,  with  annoyance.  "  She  is  very  like  one  of  my 
workwomen,  but  even  if  she  had  come  straight  here 

The  Emperor.  I.  17 


258  THE    EMPEROR. 

from  the  gumming-table  with  such  a  face  and  such  a 
figure,  she  is  perfectly  in  place  here  and  everywhere. 
That  is  my  opinion." 

"  Bravo  !  my  fine  friend !  "  cried  Verus,  nodding  to 
the  old  man.  "  Caesar  will  be  far  better  pleased  with 
such  a  paragon  of  charmers  as  that  sweet  creature, 
than  with  all  your  old  writs  of  citizenship  and  heavy 
purses." 

"  That  is  true,"  the  prefect  said,  confirming  this  state- 
ment. "  And  I  dare  swear  she  is  a  free  maiden,  and 
not  a  slave.  But  you  stood  up  for  her  friend  Pollux — 
what  do  you  know  about  her  ?" 

"That  she  is  the  daughter  of  Keraunus,  the  palace- 
steward,  and  that  I  have  known  her  from  her  child- 
hood," answered  the  youthful  artist  emphatically.  "He 
is  a  Roman  citizen,  and  of  an  old  Macedonian  house 
as  well." 

"  Perhaps  even  of  royal  descent,"  added  Titianus, 
laughing. 

"  I  know  the  man,"  answered  the  dealer  hastily. 
"  He  is  an  impecunious  insolent  old  fool." 

"  I  should  think,"  interrupted  Verus  with  lofty  com- 
posure, but  rather  as  being  bored,  than  as  reproving  the 
irritated  speaker,  "  it  seems  to  me — that  this  is  hardly  the 
place  to  conduct  a  discussion  as  to  the  nature  and  dis- 
position of  the  fathers  of  all  those  ladies  and  young 
girls." 

"  But  he  is  poor,"  cried  the  dealer  angrily.  "  A  few 
days  since  he  offered  to  sell  me  his  few  miserable  curios- 
ities, but  really  I  could  not — " 

"  We  are  sorry  for  your  sake  if  the  transaction  was 
unsuccessful,"  Verus  again  interposed,  this  time  with 
excessive  politeness.     "  Now,  first  let  us  decide  on  the 


THE    EMPEROR.  259 

persons  and  afterwards  on  the  costumes.     The  father  of 
the  girl  is  a  Roman  citizen  then  ?" 

"  A  member  of  the  council,  and  in  his  way  a  man 
of  position,"  repHed  Titianus. 

"  And  I,"  added  his  wife  Juha,  "  have  taken  a  great 
fancy  to  the  sweet  httle  maid,  and  if  the  principal  part 
is  given  to  her,  and  her  noble  father  is  without  adequate 
means,  as  you  assert  my  friend,  I  will  undertake  to  pro- 
vide for  her  costume.  Caesar  will  be  charmed  with 
such  a  Roxana." 

The  dealer's  clients  were  silent,  he  himself  was 
trembling  with  disappointment  and  vexation,  and  his 
fury  rose  to  the  utmost  when  Plutarch,  whom  till  then 
he  thought  he  had  won  over  to  his  daughter's  side,  tried 
to  bow  his  bent  old  body  before  dame  Julia,  and  said 
with  a  graceful  gesture  of  regret : 

-  "  My  old  eyes  have  deceived  me  again  on  this  oc- 
casion. The  little  girl  is  very  like  one  of  my  work- 
women; very  like — but  I  see  now  that  there  is  a  cer- 
tain something  which  the  other  lacks.  I  have  done  her 
an  injustice  and  remain  her  debtor.  Permit,  me,  noble 
lady  to  add  the  ornaments  to  the  dress  you  provide  for 
our  Roxana.  I  may  be  lucky  enough  to  find  something 
pretty  for  her.  A  sweet  child!  I  shall  go  at  once  and 
beg  her  forgiveness  and  tell  her  what  we  propose.  May 
I  do  so  noble  Julia  ?  Have  I  your  permission  gentle- 
men ?" 

In  a  very  few  minutes  it  was  known  all  over  the 
stage,  and  soon  after  all  through  the  amphitheatre,  that 
Arsinoe,  the  daughter  of  Keraunus,  had  been  selected  to 
represent  the  character  of  Roxana. 

"  But  who  was  Keraunus  ?" 

"  How  was  it  that  the  children  of  the  most   illus- 

17* 


2  6o  THE    EMPEROR. 

trious  and  wealthy  citizens  had  been  overlooked  in  as- 
signing this  most  prominent  part  ?" 

"  This  was  just  what  might  be  expected  when  every 
thing  was  left  to  those  reckless  artists !" 

"  And  where  was  a  poor  little  girl  like  that  to  find 
the  talents  which  it  would  cost  to  procure  the  costume 
of  an  Asiatic  princess,  Alexander's  bride  ?" 

"  Plutarch,  and  the  prefect's  Avife  had  undertaken 
that." 

"  A  mere  beggar." 

"  How  well  the  family  jewels  would  have  suited  our 
daughters !" 

"  Do  we  want  to  show  Caesar  nothing  but  a  few 
silly  pretty  faces  ? — and  not  something  of  our  wea.lth 
and  taste  ?" 

"  Supposing  Hadrian  asks  who  this  Roxana  is,  and 
had  to  be  told  that  a  collection  had  to  be  made  to  get 
her  a  proper  costume." 

"  Such  things  never  could  happen  anywhere  but  in- 
Alexandria." 

"  Every  one  wants  to  know  whether  she  worked  in 
Plutarch's  factory. — They  say  it  is  not  true — ^but  the 
painted  old  villain  still  loves  a  pretty  face.  He  smug- 
gled her  in,  you  may  be  sure ;  where  there  is  smoke 
there  is  fire,  and  it  is  beyond  a  doubt  that  she  gets 
money  from  the  old  man." 

"What  for?" 

Ah !  you  had  better  enquire  of  a  priest  of  Aphrodite. 
It  is  nothing  to  laugh  at,  it  is  scandalous,  audacious  !" 

Thus  and  on  this  wise  ran  the  comments  with  which 
the  announcement  of  Arsinoe's  preferment  to  the  part 
of  Roxana  was  received,  and  hatred  and  bitter  animos- 
ity had   grown  up  in   the  souls  of  the  dealer  and  his 


THE     EMPEROR.  26 1 

daughter.  Praxilla  was  selected  as  a  companion  to 
Alexander's  bride,  and  she  yielded  without  objecting, 
but  on  her  way  homewards  she  nodded  assent  when 
her  father  said: 

"  Let  things  go  on  now  as  they  may,  but  a  few  hours 
before  the  performance  begins,  I  will  send  them  word 
that  you  are  ill." 

The  selection  of  Arsinoe  had  however,  on  the  other 
hand,  given  pleasure  as  well  as  pain.  Up  in  the  middle 
places  in  the  amphitheatre  sat  Keraunus,  his  legs  far 
apart,  his  face  glowing,  panting  and  choking  with  sheer 
delight,  and  too  haughty  to  draw  in  his  feet  even  when 
the  brother  of  the  archidikastes  tried  to  squeeze  by  his 
bulky  person  which  filled  two  seats  at  once.  Arsinoe, 
whose  sharp  ears  had  not  failed  to  catch  the  dealer's  re- 
monstrances, and  the  words  in  which  brave  Pollux  had 
taken  her  part,  had,  at  first,  felt  dying  of  shame  and  ter- 
ror, but  now  she  felt  as  though  she  could  fly  on  the  wings 
of  her  delight.  She  had  never  been  so  happy  in  her 
life,  and  when  she  got  out  with  her  father,  in  the  first 
dark  street  she  threw  her  arms  round  his  neck,  kissed 
both  his  cheeks,  and  then  told  him  how  kind  the  lady 
Julia,  the  prefect's  wife  had  been  to  her,  and  that  she 
had  undertaken,  with  the  warmest  friendliness,  to  have 
her  costly  dress  made  for  her. 

Keraunus  had  no  objection  to  offer,  and,  strange  to 
say,  he  did  not  consider  it  beneath  his  dignity  to  allow 
Arsinoe  to  be  supplied  with  jewels  by  the  wealthy  manu- 
facturer. 

"  People  have  seen,"  he  said,  pathetically,  "  that  we 
need  not  shrink  from  doing  as  much  as  other  citizens  do, 
but  to  dress  a  Roxana  as  befits  a  bride  would  cost  mil- 
lions, and  I  am  very  willing  to  confess  to  my  friends 


262  THE     EMPEROR. 

that  I  have  not  millions.  Where  the  costume  comes 
from  is  all  the  same,  be  that  as  it  may  you  will  still 
stand  the  first  of  all  the  maidens  in  the  city,  and  I  am 
pleased  with  you  for  that,  my  child.  To-morrow  will 
be  the  last  meeting,  and  then  perhaps  Selene  too,  may 
have  a  prominent  part  given  to  her.  Happily  we  are 
able  to  dress  her  as  befits.  When  will  the  prefect's  wife 
fetch  you  ?  " 

"  To-morrow  about  noon." 

"  Then  early  to-morrow  buy  a  nice  new  dress." 

"  Will  there  not  be  enough  for  a  new  bracelet  too  ?" 
asked  Arsinoe,  coaxingly.  "  This  one  of  mine  is  toa 
narrow  and  trumpery." 

"  You  shall  have  one,  for  you  have  deserved  it,"  re- 
plied Keraunus,  with  dignity.  "  But  you  must  have 
patience  till  the  day  after  to-morrow;  to-morrow  the 
goldsmiths  will  be  closed  on  account  of  the  festival." 

Arsinoe  had  never  seen  her  father  so  cheerful  and 
talkative  as  he  was  to-day,  and  yet  the  walk  from  the 
theatre  to  Lochias  was  not  a  very  short  one,  and  it  was 
long  past  the  early  hour  at. which  he  was  accustomed 
to  retire  to  bed. 

By  the  time  the  father  and  daughter  reached  the 
palace  it  was  already  tolerably  late,  for,  after  Arsinoe 
had  quitted  the  stage,  suitable  representatives  of  parts 
had  been  selected  for  three  other  scenes  from  the  life  of 
Alexander,  by  the  light  of  torches,  lamps  and  tapers ; 
and  before  the  assemblage  broke  up,  Plutarch's  guests 
were  entertained  with  wine,  fruit,  syrups,  sweet  cakes, 
oyster  pasties,  and  other  delicacies.  The  steward  had 
fallen  with  good  will  on  the  noble  drink  and  excellent 
food,  and  when  he  was  replete,  he  was  wont  to  be  in  a 
better  humor,  and  after  a  modicum  of  wine,  in  a  more 


THE    EMPEROR.  263 

cheerful  mood  than  usual.  Just  now  he  was  content 
and  kind,  for  although  he  had  done  all  that  lay  in  his 
power,  the  entertainment  had  not  lasted  long  enough, 
for  him  to  arrive  at  a  state  of  intoxication  which  could 
make  him  surly,  or  to  overload  his  digestion.  Towards 
the  end  of  their  walk,  he  turned  thoughtful  and  said : 

"  To-morrow  the  council  does  not  sit  on  account 
of  the  festival,  and  that  is  well ;  all  the  world  will  con- 
gratulate me,  question  me,  and  notice  me,  and  the  gild- 
ing on  my  circlet  is  quite  shabby  ;  and  in  some  places 
the  silver  shines  through.  Your  outfit  will  now  cost 
nothing,  and  it  is  quite  necessary  that  before  the  next 
meeting  I  should  go  to  a  goldsmith  and  exchange  that 
wretched  thing  for  one  of  real  gold.  A  man  should 
show  what  he  is." 

He  spoke  the  words  pompously,  and  Arsinoe  eager- 
ly acquiesced,  and  only  begged  him,  as  they  went  in  at 
the  open  door,  to  leave  enough  for  Selene's  costume ; 
he  laughed  quietly  to  himself,  and  said  : 

"  We  need  no  longer  be  so  very  cautious.  I  should 
like  to  know  who  the  Alexander  will  be  who  will  be 
the  first  to  ask  for  my  Roxana  as  his  wife.  Rich  old 
Plutarch's  only  son  already  has  a  seat  in  the  council, 
and  has  not  yet  taken  a  wife.  He  is  no  longer  very 
young,  but  he  is  a  finfe  man  still." 

The  radiant  father's  dream  of  the  future  was  inter- 
rupted by  Doris,  who  came  out  of  the  gate-house  and 
called  him  by  his  name.  Keraunus  stood  still.  When 
the  old  woman  went  on : 

"  I  must  speak  with  you."  He  answered,  repellently: 

"  But  I  shall  not  listen  to  you — neither  now  nor  at 
any  time." 

"  It  was    certainly  not   for  my  pleasure,"  retorted 


264  THE     EMPEROR. 

Doris,  "  that  I  called  to  you ;  I  have  only  to  tell  you 
that  you  will  not  find  your  daughter  Selene  at  home." 

"  What  do  you  say  ?  "  cried  Keraunus. 

"  I  say  that  the  poor  girl  with  her  damaged  foot 
could  at  last  walk  no  farther,  and  that  she  had  to  be 
carried  into  a  strange  house  where  she  is  being  taken 
care  of." 

"  Selene  !  "  cried  Arsinoe,  falling  from  all  her  clouds 
of  happiness,  startled  and  grieved  —  "  do  you  know 
where  she  is  ?  " 

Before  Doris  could  reply,  Keraunus  stormed  out : 

"  It  is  all  the  fault  of  the  Roman  architect  and  his 
raging  beast  of  a  dog.  Very  good  !  very  good  !  now 
Caesar  will  certainly  help  me  to  my  rights.  He  will 
give  a  lesson  to  those  who  throw  Roxana's  sister  into  a 
sick-bed,  and  hinder  her  from  taking  any  part  in  the 
processions.     Very  good  !  very  good  indeed!" 

"  It  is  sad  enough  to  cry  over ! "  said  the  gate- 
keeper's wife,  indignantly.  "  Is  this  the  thanks  she  gets 
for  all  her  care  of  her  little  brothers  and  sisters  !  Only 
to  think  that  a  father  can  speak  so,  when  his  best  child 
is  lying  with  a  broken  leg,  helpless  among  strangers !" 

"  With  a  broken  leg,"  whimpered  Arsinoe. 

"  Broken  !  "  repeated  Keraunus  slowly,  and  now 
sincerely  anxious.     "  Where  can  I  find  her  ?  " 

"  At  dame  Hannah's  little  house  at  the  bottom  of 
the  garden  belonging  to  the  widow  of  Pudeus." 

"  Why  did  they  not  bring  her  here  ?  " 

"  Because  the  physician  forbade  it.  She  is  in  a 
fever,  but- she  is  well  cared  for.  Hannah  is  one  of  the 
Christians.  I  cannot  bear  the  people,  but  they  know 
how  to  nurse  the  sick  better  than  any  one." 

"  With   Christians  !  my  child  is  with   Christians  !  " 


THE    EMPEROR.  265 

shrieked  Keraunus,  beside  himself.  "  At  once  Arsinoe, 
at  once  come  with  me ;  Selene  shall  not  stay  a  moment 
longer  among  that  accursed  rabble.  Eternal  gods  !  be- 
sides all  our  other  troubles  this  disgrace  too  !" 

"  Nay^  it  is  not  so  bad  as  that,"  said  Doris  sooth- 
ingly. "  There  are  very  estimable  folks  even  among 
the  Christians.  At  any  rate  they  are  certainly  honor- 
able, for  the  poor  hunch-backed  creature  who  first 
brought  the  bad  news  gave  me  this  little  bag  of  money 
which  dame  Hannah  had  found  in  Selene's  pocket." 

Keraunus  took  his  daughter's  hard-won  wages  as 
contemptuously  as  though  he  was  quite  accustomed  to 
gold,  and  thought  nothing  of  mere  wretched  silver ;  but 
Arsinoe  began  to  cry  at  the  sight  of  the  drachmae,  for 
she  knew  it  was  for  the  sake  of  that  money  that  Selene 
had  left  her  home,  and  could  divine  what  frightful  pain 
she  must  have  suffered  on  the  way. 

"  Honorable  this,  and  honorable  that !"  cried  Ke- 
raunus, as  he  tied  up  his  money-bag.  "I  know  well 
enough  how  shameless  are  the  goings  on  in  assemblies 
of  that  stamp ;  kissing  and  hugging  slaves !  quite  the 
right  sort  of  thing  for  my  daughter!  Come  Arsinoe,  let 
us  find  a  litter  at  once  !" 

"  No,  no !"  exclaimed  Doris  eagerly.  "  For  the 
present  you  must  leave  her  in  peace.  I  should  be  glad 
to  conceal  it  from  you  as  a  father — ^l:)ut  the  physician 
declared  it  might  cost  her  her  life  if  she  were  not  left 
just  now  in  perfect  quiet.  No  one  goes  to  any  kind  of 
assembly  with  a  burning  wound  in  the  head,  a  high 
fever  and  a  broken  leg. — Poor  dear  child  !" 

Keraunus  stood  silent  in  grave  consternation,  while 
Arsinoe  exclaimed  through  her  tears : 

"  But  I  must  go  to  her,  I  must  see  her  Doris." 


266  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  That  I  cannot  blame  you  for,  my  pretty  one,"  said 
the  old  woman.  I  have  already  been  to  the  house  of 
the  Christians,  but  they  would  not  let  me  in  to  see  the 
patient.  With  you  it  is  rather  different  as  you  are  her 
sister." 

"  Come  father,"  begged  Arsinoe,  "  first  let  us  see  to 
the  children,  and  then  you  shall  come  with  me  to  see 
Selene.  Oh  !  why  did  I  not  go  with  her.  Oh !  if  she 
should  die." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Keraunus  and  his  daughter  reached  their  rooms 
less  quickly  than  usual,  for  the  steward  dreaded  a  fresh 
attack  from  the  blood-hound,  which,  to-night  however, 
was  sharing  Antinous'  room.  They  found  the  old  slave- 
woman  up,  and  in  great  excitement,  for  she  loved 
Selene,  she  was  frightened  at  her  absence,  and  in  the 
children's  sleeping-room  all  was  not  as  it  should  be. 

Arsinoe  went  without  delay  to  see  the  little  ones, 
but  the  black  woman  remained  with  her  master,  and 
told  him  with  many  tears,  while  he  exchanged  his 
safiron-colored  pallium  for  an  old  cloak,  that  the  joy 
of  her  heart,  little  blind  Helios  had  been  ill,  and  could 
not  sleep,  even  after  she  had  given  him  some  of  the 
drops  which  Keraunus  himself  was  accustomed  to 
take, 

"  Idiotic  animal !"  exclaimed  Keraunus,  "  to  give 
my  medicine  to  the  child,"  and  he  kicked  off  his  new 
shoes  to  replace  them  with  shabbier  ones.  "  If  you 
were  younger  I  would  have  you  flogged." 


THE    EMPEROR.  267 

"  But  you  did  say  the  drops  were  good,"  stammered 
the  old  woman. 

"  For  me,"  shouted  the  steward,  and  without  fasten- 
ing his  shoe-straps  round  his  ankles,  so  that  they  flap- 
ped and  pattered  on  the  ground,  he  hurried  off  into  the 
children's  room.  There  sat  his  darling  blind  child,  his 
'heir'  as  he  liked  to  call  him,  with  his  pretty,  fair,  curly 
head  resting  on  Arsinoe's  breast.  The  child  recognized 
his  step,  and  began  his  little  lament : 

"  Selene  was  away,  and  I  was  frightened,  and  I  feel 
so  sick,  so  sick." 

The  steward  laid  his  hand  on  the  child's  forehead, 
and  feeling  how  hot  it  was  he  began  to  walk  restlessly 
up  and  down  by  the  little  bed. 

"That  is  just  how  it  always  happens,"  he  said.  "When 
one  misfortune  comes  another  always  follows.  Look  at 
him  Arsinoe.  Do  you  remember  how  the  fever  took 
poor  Berenice  ?  Sickness,  uneasiness,  and  a  burning 
head. — Have  you  any  pain  in  your  head  my  boy  ?" 

"  No,"  answered  Helios,  "  but  I  feel  so  sick." 

The  steward  opened  the  child's  little  shirt  to  see  if  he 
had  any  spots  on  his  breast,  but  Arsinoe  said,  as  she 
bent  over  him  : 

"  It  is  nothing  much,  he  has  only  overloaded  his 
stomach.  The  stupid  old  woman  gives  him  every 
thing  he' asks  for,  and  she  let  him  have  half  of  the  cur- 
rant cake,  which  we  sent  her  to  fetch  before  we  went 
out." 

"  But  his  head  is  burning,"  repeated  Keraunus. 

"  He  will  be  quite  well  again  by  to-morrow  morn- 
ing," replied  Arsinoe.  "  Our  poor  Selene  needs  us  far 
more  than  he  does.  Come  father.  The  old  woman  can 
stay  with  him." 


268  -  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  I  want  Selene  to  come,"  whimpered  the  child. 
**  Pray,  pray,  do  not  leave  me  alone  again." 

"  Your  old  father  will  stay  with  you  my  pet,"  said 
Keraunus  tenderly,  for  it  cut  him  to  the  soul  to  see  this 
child  suffer.  "  You  none  of  you  know  what  this  boy 
is  to  us  all." 

"  He  will  soon  go  to  sleep,"  Arsinoe  asserted.  "  Do 
let  us  go,  or  it  will  be  too  late." 

"  And  leave  the  old  woman  to  commit  some  other 
stupid  blunder  ?"  cried  Keraunus.  "  It  is  my  duty  to 
stay  with  the  poor  little  boy.  You  can  go  to  your  sister 
and  take  the  old  woman  with  you." 

"  Very  good,  and  to-morrow  early  I  will  come  back." 

"  To-mon'ow  morning  ?"  said  Keraunus  surprised. 
*'  No,  no,  that  will  not  do.  Doris  said  just  now  that 
Selene  will  be  well  nursed  by  the  Christians.  Only  see 
how  she  is,  give  her  my  love,  and  then  come  back." 

"  But  father—" 

"  Besides  you  must  remember  that  the  prefect's  wife 
expects  you  to-morrow  at  noon  to  choose  the  stuff  for 
your  dress,  and  you  must  not  look  as  if  you  had  been 
.sitting  up  all  night." 

"  I  will  rest  a  little  while  in  the  morning." 

"  In  the  morning  ?  And  how  about  curling  my  hair  ? 
And  your  new  frock  ?  And  poor  little  Helios  ? — No 
child,  you  are  only  just  to  see  Selene  and  then  come 
back  again.  Early  in  the  morning  too  the  holiday  will 
have  begun,  and  you  know  what  goes  on  then  ;  the  old 
woman  would  be  of  no  use  to  you  in  the  throng.  Go 
and  see  how  Selene  is,  you  are  not  to  stay." 

**  I  will  see  — " 

"  Not  a  word  about  seeing — you  come  home  again. 
I  desire  it ;  in  two  hours  you  are  to  be  in  bed." 


THE    EMPEROR.  269 

Arsinoe  shrugged  her  shoulders,  and  two  minutes 
later  she  was  standing  with  the  old  slave-woman  in 
front  of  the  gate-house. 

A  broad  beam  of  light  still  fell  through  the  half-open 
door  of  the  bowery  little  room,  so  Euphorion  and  Doris 
had  not  retired  to  rest  and  could  at  once  open  the  palace- 
gate  for  her.  The  Graces  set  up  a  bark  as  Arsinoe  crossed 
the  threshold  of  her  old  friends'  house,  but  they  did  not 
leave  their  cushion  for  they  soon  recognized  her. 

It  was  several  years  since  Arsinoe,  in  obedience  to 
her  father's  strict  prohibition  had  set  foot  in  the  snug 
little  hoiise,  and  her  heart  was  deeply  touched  as  she  saw 
again  all  the  surroundings  she  had  loved  as  a  child,  and' 
had  not  -forgotten  as  she  grew  into  girlhood.  There 
were  the  birds,  the  little  dogs,  and  the  lutes  on  the  wall 
near  the  Apollo.  On  worthy  dame  Doris'  table  there 
had  always  been  something  to  eat,  and  there,  now, 
stood  a  lovely,  golden-brown  cake,  by  the  side  of  the 
wine-jar.  How  often  as  a  child  had  she  sneaked  in  to 
beg  a  sweet  morsel,  how  often  to  see  whether  tall 
Pollux  were  not  there,  Pollux,  whose  bold  devices  and 
original  suggestions,  gave  his  work  and  his  play  alike, 
the  stamp  of  genius,  and  lent  them  a  peculiar  charm. 
And  there  sat  her  saucy  playfellow  in  person,  his  legs 
stretched  at  full  length  in  front  of  him,  and  talking 
eagerly.  Arsinoe  heard  him  relating  the  end  of  the 
history  of  her  being  chosen  for  Roxana,  and  caught  her 
own  name,  graced  with  such  epithets  as  brought  the 
blushes  to  her  cheeks,  and  gave  her  double  pleasure  be- 
cause he  could  not  guess  that  she  could  overhear  them. 
From  a  boy  he  had  grown  to  a  man,  and  a  fine  man, 
and  a  great  artist — but  he  was  still  the  old  kind  and 
audacious  Pollux. 


270 


THE    EMPEROR. 


The  sudden  leap  with  which  he  sprang  from  his  seat 
to  welcome  her,  the  frank  laughter  with  which  he  several 
times  interrupted  her  speech,  the  childlike  loving  way 
in  which  he  held  his  arm  round  his  httle  mother  while 
he  greeted  her,  and  asked  why  she  was  going  out  so  late, 
the  winning,  touching  tone  of  his  voice  as  he  expressed 
his  regret  at  Selene's  mishaps — all  went  home  to  Arsinoe 
as  a  thing  known  and  loved,  of  which  she  had  long  been 
deprived,  and  she  clung  to  the  two  strong  hands  he 
held  out  to  her.  If  at  that  moment  he  had  taken  her 
up,  and  clasped  her  to  his  heart  before  the  very  eyes  of 
Euphorion  and  his  mother  she  really  would  have  been 
incapable  of  resisting  him. 

It  was  with  a  heavy  heart  that  Arsinoe  had  gone 
into  dame  Doris,  but  in  the  gate-keeper's  house  there 
reigned  an  atmosphere  in  which  care  and  anxiety  could 
not  breathe,  and  the  light-hearted  girl's  vision  of  her  sis- 
ter as  tormented  with  pain  and  threatened  with  danger 
was  changed  in  a  wonderfully  short  time  to  that  of  a  suf- 
ferer comfortably  in  bed,  with  only  a  severely-injured 
foot.  In  the  place  of  consuming  anxiety  she  felt  only 
hearty  sympathy,  and  this  sounded  in  her  voice  as  she 
begged  the  singer  Euphorion  to  open  the  gate  for  her, 
because  she  wanted  to  go  out  with  her  slave-woman 
to  ascertain  how  Selene  was. 

Doris  soothed  her,  repeating  her  assurance  that  the 
patient  would  be  nursed  with  the  utmost  care  in  dame 
Hannah's  hands  ;  still,  she  thought  her  wish  to  see  her 
sister  very  justifiable,  and  eagerly  seconded  Pollux 
when  he  entreated  Arsinoe  to  accept  his  escort ;  for  the 
festival  would  be  beginning  soon  after  midnight,  the 
streets  would  be  full  of  rough  and  impudent  people,  and 
a  bunch  of  feathers  would  be  about  as  much  use  against 


THE    EMPEROR.  27 1 

the  drunken  slaves  as  her  black  scarecrow,  who  had 
been  falling  into  decrepitude  even  before  she  had  done 
the  stupidest  deed  of  her  life  and  roused  the  steward's 
anger  against  herself 

So  they  went  along  the  dark  streets  which  grew  full 
of  people  the  farther  they  went,  side  by  side  in  silence. 
Presently  Pollux  said : 

"Put  your  arm  through  mine;  you  ought  to  feel 
that  I  am  protecting  you,  and  I — I  should  like  to  feel 
at  every  step  that  I  have  found  you  once  more,  and  am 
allowed  to  be  near  you — so  sweet  a  creature." 

The  words  did  not  sound  impertinent,  on  the  con- 
trary, they  sounded  very  much  in  earnest,  and  the  sculp- 
tor's deep  voice  trembled  with  emotion  as  he  spoke  them 
with  deep  tenderness.  They  knocked  at  the  door  of 
the  girl's  heart  with  the  urgent  hand  of  love ;  she  un- 
hesitatingly put  her  hand  through  his  arm  and  answered 
softly : 

"  You  will  take  care  of  me  now." 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  and  he  took  her  little  hand,  which 
rested  on  his  right  arm,  in  his  left  hand.  She  did  not 
draw  it  away,  and  after  they  had  gone  on  thus  for  a  few 
paces  he  sighed  and  said: 

"  Do  you  know  how  I  feel  ?  " 

"  Well ! " 

"  Nay,  I  myself  cannot  put  it  into  words.  Rather 
as  if  I  had  triumphed  in  the  Olympian  games,  or  as  if 
Caesar  had  invested  me  with  the  purple! — But  who 
cares  for  the  wealth  or  the  purple  !  You  are  hanging 
on  my  arm,  and  I  have  hold  of  your  hand ;  compared 
with  this,  all  is  as  nought.  If  it  were  not  for  the  people 
about  I — I  do  not  know  what  I  could  do." 

She  looked  up  at  him  with  happy  content,  but  he 


272  THE    EMPEROR. 

lifted  her  hand  to  his  hps  and  pressed  it  to  them  long 
and  fervently.  Then  he  let  it  go  again  and  said,  with  a 
sigh  that  came  up  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart : 

"  Oh  Arsinoe,  my  sweet  Arsinoe,  how  I  love  you  I  " 

As  the  words  came  softly  yet  hotly  from  his  lips  the 
girl  clasped  his  arm  closely  to  her  bosom,  leaned  her 
head  on  his  shoulder,  looked  up  at  him  with  a  wide- 
eyed,  tender  gaze,  and  said  softly  : 

"  Oh  Pollux,  I  am  so  happy,  the  world  is  so  good !  " 

."  Nay,  I  could  hate  it !  "  cried  the  sculptor.  "  To 
hear  this — and  to  have  an  old  mother  wide  awake  at 
home,  and  to  be  obHged  to  walk  steadily  on  in  a  street 
crowded  with  men — it  is  unendurable  !  I  shall  not  hold 
out  much  longer — sweetest  of  girls — here  it  is  quiet  and 
dark." 

Yes,  in  a  little  nook  made  by  two  contiguous  houses, 
and  into  which  Pollux  drew  Arsinoe,  it  was  pitch  dark, 
as  he  hastily  pressed  his  first  kiss  on  her  innocent  lips ; 
but  in  their  hearts  it  was  light — radiant  sunshine. 

She  had  thrown  her  arms  round  his  neck  and  would 
wiUingly  have  clung  to  him  till  day  should  end ;  but 
they  heard  the  approach  of  a  noisy  procession  of  slaves. 
These  unfortunate  creatures  began  soon  after  midnight 
singing  and  shouting  so  as  to  avail  themselves  to  the  ex- 
tremest  limit  of  the  holiday,  which  released  them  for  a 
short  time  from  their  tasks  and  duties  ;  Pollux  knew  well 
how  unbounded  the  license  of  their  pleasures  could  be, 
and  as  he  walked  on  with  Arsinoe  he  enjoined  her  to 
keep  with  him  as  close  as  possible  to  the  houses. 

"  How  jolly  they'  are  !  "  he  said  pointing  to  the 
merry-makers.  "  Their  masters  will  wait  on  themselves 
a  little  to-day,  and  the  best  day  in  the  year  is  just  be- 
ginning for  them,  but  for  us  the  best  day  in  all  our  lives." 


THE    EMPEROR.  275 

"  Yes,  yes,"  cried  Arsinoe,  and  she  clasped  his  strong 
arm  with  both  her  hands. 

Then  they  both  laughed  merrily,  for  Pollux  had  no- 
ticed that  the  old  slave-woman  had  gone  on  past  them 
with  her  head  sunk  on  her  breast,  and  was  following 
another  pair.  ,•> 

"  I  will  call  her,"  Arsinoe  said. 

"  No,  no,  let  her  be,"  said  the  artist.  "  The  couple 
in  front  certainly  require  her  protection  more  than  we 
do." 

"  But  how  could  she  possibly  mistake  that  little  man 
for  you  ?  "  laughed  Arsinoe. 

"  I  wish  I  were  a  little  smaller,"  replied  Pollux  with 
a  sigh.  "  Only  picture  to  yourself  the  vast  amount  of 
burning  love  and  tormenting  longing  that  can  be  con- 
tained in  so  large  a  body  as  mine  !  "  She  slapped  him 
on  the  arm,  and  to  punish  her  he  hastily  pressed  his  lips 
on  her  forehead. 

"  Don't — think  of  the  people,"  she  said  reprovingly, 
but  he  gaily  answered  : 

"  It  is  not  a  misfortune  to  be  envied." 

Here  the  streets  came  to  an  end,  and  they  found 
themselves  in  front  of  the  garden  belonging  to  Pudeus* 
widow ;  Pollux  knew  it,  for  PauHna  who  owned  it  was 
the  sister  of  Pontius,  the  architect,  who  himself  owned  a 
magnificent  house  in  the  city.  But  could  it  be  possi- 
ble ?  Had  invisible  hands  brought  them  here  already  ? 
The  gate  of  the  enclosure  was  locked.  Pollux  roused  a 
porter,  told  him  what  he  wanted,  and  was  conducted  by 
him  with  Arsinoe  to  a  part  of  the  grounds  where  a 
bright  light  shone  out  from  dame  Hannah's  little  abode, 
for  he  had  had  instructions  to  admit  the  sick  girl's  friends 
even  during  the  night. 

Ttu  Emperor.  I.  18 


274  THE    EMPEROR. 

A  crescent  moon  lighted  the  paths,  which  were 
strewed  with  shells;  the  shrubs  and  trees  in  the  garden 
threw  sharply-defined  shadows  on  their  gleaming  white- 
ness, the  sea  sparkled  brightly,  and  as  soon  as  the  por- 
ter had  left  the  happy  young  pair  together,  and  they 
found  themselves  in  a  shadowy  alley,  Pollux  said, 
opening  his  arras  to  the  girl : 

"  Now — one  more  kiss,  just  for  a  remembrance, 
while  I  wait." 

"  Not  now,"  -begged  Arsinoe.  "  I  am  no  longer 
happy  since  we  came  in  here.  I  cannot  help  thinking  of 
poor  Selene." 

"  I  have  not  a  word  to  say  against  that,"  replied 
Pollux  submissively.  "  Then  when  waiting  is  over  may 
I  have  my  reward  ?" 

"  No,  no,  now,  at  once,"  cried' Arsinoe  throwing  her- 
self on  his  breast,  and  then  she  hurried  towards  the 
house. 

He  followed  her,  and  when  she  paused  in  front  of  a 
brightly-lighted  window  on  the  ground  floor,  he  stopped 
also.  They  both  looked  in  on  a  lofty  and  spacious 
room,  kept  in  the  most  perfect  order  and  cleanliness ;  it 
had  one  door  only  opening  on  the  roofless  forecourt  of 
the  house ;  the  walls  of  the  room  were  plainly  painted  of 
a  light  green  color,  and  the  only  ornament  it  contained 
was  one  piece  of  carved  work  over  the  door. 

On  the  farther  side  stood  the  bed  on  which  Selene 
was  lying ;  a  few  paces  from  it  sat  the  deformed  girl 
asleep,  while  dame  Hannah  softly  went  up  to  the 
patient  with  a  wet  compress  in  her  hand  which  she  care- 
fully laid  on  her  head. 

Pollux  touched  Arsinoe  and  whispered  to  her : 

"  Your  sister  lies  there  in  her  sleep  like  an  Ariadne 


THE    EMPEROR.  27$ 

deserted  by   Dionysus.     How   wretched  she  will  feel 
when  she  comes  to  herself." 

"  She  looks  to  me  less  pale  than  usual." 

'•  Look  now,  how  she  bends  her  arm,  and  what  a 
lovely  attitude  as  she  puts  her  hand  to  her  head  !" 

"  Go — "  said  Arsinoe.  "  You  ought  not  to  be  spy- 
ing here." 

"  Directly,  directly — ^but  if  you  were  lying  there  no 
power  should  stir  me  from  the  spot.  How  carefully 
Hannah  lifts  the  wet  wrapper  from  her  poor  broken 
ankle.  You  could  not  touch  your  eye  more  gently 
than  the  good  woman  handles  Selene's  foot." 

"  Go  back,  she  is  looking  straight  this  way." 

**  What  a  wonderful  face  !  It  would  do  for  a  Pene- 
lope, but  there  is  something  singular  in  her  eyes.  Now 
if  I  had  to  make  another  star-gazing  Urania,  or  a  Sap- 
pho full  of  the  deity,  and  with  eyes  fixed  on  the  heavens 
in  poetic  rapture,  that  is  what  I  would  put  into  her  I 
She  is  no  longer  young,  but  how  pure  her  face  is !  It  is 
like  a  sky  when  the  wind  has  swept  it  clear  of  clouds." 

"  Seriously  you  must  go  now,"  said  Arsinoe  drawing 
away  her  hand,  which  he  had  again  taken.  Pollux  saw 
that  his  praise  of  another  woman's  beauty  annoyed  her, 
and  he  said  soothingly  : 

"  Be  easy  child.  You  have  not  your  match  here  in 
Alexandria,  no,  nor  so  far  as  Greek  is  spoken.  A  per- 
fectly clear  sky  is  certainly  not  the  most  beautiful  to  my 
taste.  Pure  light,  and  pure  blue,  give  no  satisfaction  to 
the  artist,  it  is  only  behind  a  few  moving  clouds,  lighted 
up  by  changing  gleams  of  gold  and  silver,  that  the  fir- 
mament has  any  true  charm,  and  though  your  face  too 
is  like  heaven  to  me  it  does  not  lack  sweet  movement, 
never  twice  alike.     Now  this  matron — " 

18  • 


276  THE    EMPEROR. 

",  Only  look,"  interrupted  Arsinoe,  "  how  tenderly 
dame  Hannah  bends  over  Selene,  and  now  she  is  gently 
kissing  her  brow.  No  mother  could  tend  her  own 
daughter  more  lovingly.  I  have  known  her  for  a  long 
time ;  she  is  good,  very  good ;  it  is  hardly  credible  for 
she  is  a  Christian." 

"  The  cross  up  there  over  the  door,"  said  Pollux  "  is 
the  token  by  which  these  extraordinary  people  recognize 
each  other." 

"  And  what  is  signified  by  the  dove  and  fish  and  an- 
chor round  it  ?"  asked  Arsinoe. 

"  They  are  emblems  of  the  mysteries  of  the  Chris- 
tians," replied  Pollux.  "I  do  not  understand  them; 
the  things  are  wretchedly  painted ;  the  adherents  of  the 
crucified  God  contemn  all  art,  and  particularly  my 
branch  of  it,  for  they  hate  all  images  of  the  gods." 

"  And  yet  among  such  blasphemers  we  find  such 
good  men ;  I  will  go  in  at  once ;  Hannah  is  wetting  an-, 
other  handkerchief." 

"  And  how  unwearied  and  kind  she  looks  as  she 
does  it ;  still  there  is  something  strange,  deserted,  and 
graceless  in  this  large  bare  room.  I  should  not  like  to_ 
live  there." 

"  Have  you  noticed  the  faint  scent  of  lavender  that 
comes  through  the  window  ?" 

"  Long  since — there  your  sister  is  moving  and  has 
opened  her  eyes — now  she  has  shut  them  again." 

"Go  back  into  the  garden  and  wait  till  I  come," 
Arsinoe  commanded  him  decidedly.  "  I  will  only  see 
how  Selene  is  going  on ;  I  will  not  stop  long  for  my  father 
wishes  me  to  return  soon,  and  no  one  can  nurse  her 
better  than  Hannah!" 

The  girl  drew  her  hand  out  of  her  lover's  and  knocked 


THE    EiMPEROR.  277 

at  the  door  of  the  little  house ;  it  was  opened  and  the 
widow  herself  led  Arsinoe  to  the  bedside  of  her  sister. 

Pollux  at  first  sat  a  while  on  a  bench  in  the  garden, 
but  soon  sprang  up  and  paced  with  long  steps  the  path 
he  had  previously  trodden  with  Arsinoe.  A  stone  table 
across  the  path,  brought  him  to  a  stand-still,  and  he  took 
a  fancy  for  leaping  it.  The  third  time  he  came  up  to  it 
lie  sprang  over  it  with  a  long  jump.  But  no  sooner  had 
lie  done  the  frolicsome  deed  than  he  paused,  shook 
his  head  at  himself  and  muttered  to  himself:  "  Like  a 
boy !" — He  felt  indeed  like  a  happy  child.  But  as  he 
waited  he  became  calmer  and  graver.  He  acknowledged 
to  himself,  with  sincere  thankfulness,  that  he  had  now 
found  the  ideal  woman,  of  whom  he  had  dreamed  in  his 
hours  of  best  inspiration,  and  that  she  was  his,  wholly 
and  alone.  And  after  all,  what  was  he  ?  A  poor  ras- 
cal who  had  many  mouths  to  fill,  and  was  no  more  than 
two  fingers  of  his  master's  hand.  This  must  be  altered. 
He  would  not  reduce  his  sister's  comforts  in  any  way 
but  he  must  break  with  Papias,  and  stand  henceforth  on 
his  own  feet.  His  courage  mounted  fast,  and  when  at 
last,  Arsinoe  returned  from  her  sister,  he  had  resolved  that 
he  must  first  finish  Balbilla's  bust  with  all  diligence  in  his 
own  workshop,  and  that  then  he  would  model  his  be- 
loved; these  two  female  heads  he  could  not  fail  in. 
Caesar  must  see  them,  they  must  be  exhibited,  and  al- 
ready in  his  mind's  eye,  he  saw  himself  refusing  order 
after  order,  and  accepting  only  the  most  splendid  where 
all  were  good. 

Arsinoe  went  home  comforted.  Selene's  sufferings 
were  certainly  less  than  she  had  pictured  them ;  she  did 
not  wish  to  be  nursed  by  any  one  besides  dame  Han- 
nah.     She  might  perhaps  have  a  little  fever,  but   any 


278  THE    EMPEROR. 

one  who  was  capable  of  discussing  every  little  question 
of  house-keeping,  and  all  that  related  to  the  children 
could  not  be — as  Arsinoe  thought  while  she  walked 
back  through  the  garden,  leaning  on  the  artist's  arm 
— really  and  properly  ill. 

"  It  must  revive  and  delight  her  to  have  Roxana  for 
a  sister  !  "  cried  Pollux  ;  but  his  pretty  companion  shook 
her  head  and  said  :  "  She  is  always  so  odd ;  what  most 
delights  me  is  averse  to  her." 

"  Well  Selene  is  of  course  the  moon,  and  you  are 
the  sun." 

"  And  what  are  you  ?  "  asked  Arsinoe. 

"  I  am  tall  Pollux,  and  to-night  I  feel  as  if  I  might 
some  day  be  great  Pollux." 

"If  you  succeed  I  shall  grow  with  you." 

"  That  will  be  your  right,  since  it  is  only  through 
you  that  I  can  ever  succeed  in  that  which  I  propose  to 
do." 

"  And  how  should  a  simple  little  thing,  such  as  I 
am,  be  able  to  help  an  artist  ?  " 

"By  Hving,  and  by  loving  him,"  cried  the  sculptor, 
lifting  her  up  in  his  arms  before  she  could  prevent 
him. 

Outside  the  garden-gate  the  old  slave-woman  was 
sitting  asleep.  She  had  learnt  from  the  porter  that  her 
young  mistress  had  been  admitted  with  her  companion, 
but  she  herself  had  been  forbidden  to  enter  the  grounds. 
A  curbstone  had  served  her  for  a  seat,  and  as  she  wait- 
ed her  eyes  had  closed,  in  spite  of  the  increasing  noise 
in  the  street.  Arsinoe  did  not  waken  her,  but  asked 
Pollux,  with  a  roguish  laugh  : 

"  We  shall  find  our  way  alone,  shall  we  not  ?  " 

'*  If  Eros  does  not  lead  us  astray,"  answered   the 


THE    EMPEROR.  279 

artist.  And  so,  as  they  went  on  their  wayj-they  jested 
and  exchanged  little  tender  speeches. 

The  nearer  they  got  to  Lochias  and  to  the  main  lines 
of  traffic  which  intersected  at  right  angles  the  Canopic 
way — the  widest  and  longest  road  in  the  city — the  fuller 
was  the  stream  of  people  that  flowed  onwards  in  the 
direction  in  which  they  were  going;  but  this  circumstance 
favored  them,  for  those  who  wish  to  be  unobserved, 
when  they  cannot  be  absolutely  alone,  have  only  to  mix 
with  the  crowd.  As  they  were  borne  towards  the  focus 
and  centre  of  the  festive  doings,  they  clung  closely 
together,  she  to  him,  and  he  to  her,  so  that  they  might 
not  be  torn  apart  by  any  of  the  rushing  and  tumultuous 
processions  of  excited  Thracian  women  who,  faithful  to 
their  native  usages,  came  storming  by  with  a  young  bull, 
on  this  particular  night  of  the  year,  that  following  the 
shortest  day.  They  had  hardly  gone  a  hundred  paces 
beyond  the  Moon-street  when  they  heard  proceeding 
from  it  a  wild  roving  song  of  tipsy  jollity,  and  loud 
above  it  the  sound  of  drums  and  pipes,  cymbals  and 
noisy  shouting,  and  at  the  same  time  in  the  King's- 
street,  a  road  which  crossed  the  Bruchiom  and  opened 
on  Lochias,  a  merry  troup  came  towards  them. 

At  their  head,  among  other  acquaintances,  came 
Teuker,  the  gem-cutter,  the  younger  brother  of  Pollux. 
Crowned  with  ivy,  and  flourishing  a  thyrsus  he  came 
dancing  on,  and  behind  him,  leaping  and  shouting,  a 
train  of  men  and  women,  all  excited  to  the  verge  of 
folly,  singing,  holloo-ing,  and  dancing. 

Garlands  of  vine,  ivy  and  asphodel  fluttered  from  a 
hundred  heads ;  poplar,  lotus,  and  laurel  wreaths  over- 
hung their  heated  brows  ;  panther-skins,  deer  and  goat- 
skins hung  from  their  bare  shoulders  and  waved  in  the 


280  THE    EMPEROR. 

wind  as  their  bearers  hurried  onwards.  This  procession 
had  been  first  formed  by  some  artists  and  rich  youths 
returning  with  some  women  firom  a  banquet,  with'  a 
band  of  music ;  every  one  who  met  this  festal  party  had 
joined  it  or  had  been  forced  to  enhst  with  it.  Respecta- 
ble citizens  and  their  wives,  laborers,  maid-servants, 
slaves,  soldiers  and  sailors,  officers,  women  flute-players, 
artisans,  ship-captains,  the  whole  chorus  of  a  theatre 
invited  by  a  friend  of  art,  excited  women  who  dragged 
with  them  a  goat  that  was  to  be  slaughtered  to  Diony- 
sus— none  had  been  able  to  resist  the  temptation  to  join 
the  procession.  It  turned  down  the  Moon-street,  keep- 
ing to  the  middle  of  the  road  which  was  planted  with 
•elms,  and  had  on  each  side  of  it  a  raised  foot-way, 
~vvhich  at  this  time  of  night  no  one  used.  How  clear 
Tvas  the  sound  of  the  double-pipes,  how  bravely  the  girls 
liit  the  calf-skin  of  the  tambourines  with  their  soft  fists, 
liow  saucily  the  wind  tossed  and  tangled  the  dishevelled 
hair  of  the  riotous  women  and  played  with  the  smoke 
of  the  torches  which  were  wielded  in  the  air  by  auda- 
cious youths,  disguised  as  Pan  or  as  Satyrs,  and  shouting 
as  they  went. 

Here  a  girl,  holding  her  tambourine  high  in  the  air, 
rattled  the  little  bells  on  its  hoop,  as  she  flew  along,  as 
violently  as  though  she  wanted  to  shake  the  hollow 
metal  balls  out  of  their  frame,  and  send  them  whistling 
through  the  air  on  their  own  account — there,  side  by 
side  with  his  comrades,  who  were  excited  almost  to 
madness,  a  handsome  lad  came  skipping  along  in  elabor- 
ately graceful  leaps,  but  carrying  over  his  arm,  with 
comic  care,  a  long  bull's-tail  that  he  had  tied  on,  and 
l^lowing  alternately  up  and  down  the  short  scale  from 
the  shortest  to  the  longest  of  the  reeds  composing  his 


THE    EMPEROR.  261 

panpipes.  Through  the  noisy  crowd  as  they  rushed  by, 
sounded,  now  and  again,  a  loud  roar,  that  might  as 
easily  have  been  caused  by  pain  as  joy;  but  it  was  each 
time  hastily  drowned  in  mad  laughter,  extravagant  sing- 
ing and  jubilant  music. 

Old  and  young,  great  and  small,  all  in  short  that 
came  near  this  rabble  train,  were  carried  off  with  irre- 
sistible force  to  follow  it  with  shouts  of  triumph.  Even 
Pollux  and  Arsinoe  had  for  some  time  ceased  to  walk 
soberly  side  by  side,  but  moved  their  feet,  laughingly 
in  time  to  the  merry  measure. 

"  How  nice  it  sounds,"  cried  the  artist.  "  I  could 
dance  and  be  merry  too  Arsinoe,  dance  and  make  merry 
with  you  like  a  madman  !" 

Before  she  could  find  time  to  say  'yes'  or  'no,'  he 
shouted  a  loud  "  lo,  lo,  Dionysus,"  and  flung  her  up  in 
the  air.  She  too  was  caught  by  the  spirit  of  the  thing, 
and  waving  her  hand  above  her  head  she  joined  in  his 
shout  of  triumph,  and  let  him  drag  her  along  to  a  cor- 
ner of  the  Moon-street  where  a  seller  of  garlands  offered 
her  wares  for  sale.  There  she  let  him  wreathe  her  with 
ivy,  she  stuck  a  laurel  wreath  on  his  head,  twisted  a 
streamer  of  ivy  round  his  neck  and  breast,  and  laughed 
loudly  as  she  flung  a  large  silver  coin  into  the  flower- 
woman's  lap  and  clung  tightly  to  his  arm.  It  was  all 
done  in  swift  haste  without  reflection,  as  if  in  a  fit  of  in- 
toxication, and  with  trembling  hands. 

The  procession  was  drawing  to  an  end.  Six  women 
and  girls  in  wreaths  closed  it,  walking  arm  in  arm  with 
loud  singing.  Pollux  drew  his  sweetheart  behind  this 
jovial  crew,  threw  his  arm  around  Arsinoe  once  more, 
while  she  put  hers  round  him,  and  then  both  of  them 
stepped  out  in  a  brisk  dance-step  flinging  their  arms 


282  THE    EMPEROR. 

left  free,  throwing  back  their  heads,  shouting  and  sing- 
ing loudly,  and  forgetting  all  that  surrounded  them  ;  they 
felt  as  though  they  were  bound  to  each  other  by  a  glory 
of  sunbeams,  while  some  god  lifted  them  above  the  earth 
and  bore  them  up  through  a  realm  of  delight  and  joy 
beyond  the  myriad  stars  and  through  the  translucent 
ether;  thus  they  let  themselves  be  led  away  through 
the  Moon-street  into  the  Canopic  way  and  so  back  to 
the  sea,  and  as  far  as  the  temple  of  Dionysus. 

There  they  paused  breathless  and  it  suddenly  struck 
them  that  he  was  Pollux  and  she  Arsinoe,  and  that  she 
must  get  back  again  to  her  father  and  the  children. 

"  Come  home,"  she  said  softly,  and  as  she  spoke  she 
dropped  her  arm  and  began  to  gather  up  her  loosened 
hair. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  he  said  as  if  in  a  dream.  He  released 
her,  struck  his  hand  against  his  brow,  and  turning  to  the 
open  cella  of  the  temple  he  said : 

"  Long  have  I  known  that  thou  art  mighty  O  Diony- 
sus, and  that  thou  O  Aphrodite  art  lovely,  and  that 
thou  art  sweet  O  Eros !  but  how  inestimable  your  gifts, 
that  I  have  learnt  to-day  for  the  first  time." 

"  We  were  indeed  full  of  the  deity,"  said  Arsinoe.  "  But 
here  comes  another  procession  and  I  must  go  home." 

"  Then  let  us  go  by  the  Little  Harbor,"  answered 
Pollux. 

"  Yes — I  must  pick  the  leaves  out  of  my  hair  and 
no  one  will  see  us  there." 

"  I  will  help  you — " 

"  No,  you  are  not  to  touch  me,"  said  Arsinoe  de- 
cidedly. She  grasped  her  abundant  soft  and  shiny  hair, 
and  cleared  it  of  the  leaves  that  had  got  entangled  in  it, 
as  tiny  beetles  do  in  a  double  flower.  Finally  she  hid  her 


THE    EMPEROR.  283 

hair  under  her  veil,  which  had  slipped  off  her  head  long 
since,  but,  almost  by  a  miracle,  had  caught  and  remained 
hanging  on  the  brooch  of  her  peplum.  Pollux  stood 
looking  at  her,  and  overmastered  by  the  passion  that 
possessed  him,  he  exclaimed  : 

"  Eternal  gods !  how  I  love  you  !  Till  now  my  soul 
has  been  like  a  careless  child,  to-day  it  is  grown  to 
heroic  stature. — Wait — only  wait,  it  will  soon  learn  to 
use  its  weapons." 

"  And  I  will  help  it  in  the  fight,"  she  said  happily, 
as  she  put  her  hand  through  his  arm  again,  and  they 
hurried  back  to  the  old  palace,  dancing  rather  than 
walking. 

The  late  December  sun  was  already  giving  warning 
of  his  approaching  rising  by  cold  yellowish-grey  streaks 
in  the  sky  as  Pollux  and  his  companion  entered  the  gate, 
which  had  long  since  been  opened  for  the  workmen.  In 
the  hall  of  the  Muses  they  took  a  first  farewell,  in  the 
passage  leading  to  the  steward's  room,  a  second — sad 
and  yet  most  happy ;  but  this  was  but  a  short  one  for  the 
gleam  of  a  lamp  made  them  start  apart,  and  Arsinoe  in- 
stantly fled. 

The  disturber  was  Antinous  who  was  waiting  here 
for  the  Emperor  who  was  still  gazing  at  the  stars  from 
the  watch-tower  Pontius  had  erected  for  him.  As  she 
vanished  he  turned  to  Pollux  and  said  gaily : 

"  I  need  your  forgiveness  for  I  have  disturbed  you 
in  an  interview  with  your  sweetheart." 

"  She  will  be  my  wife,"  said  the  sculptor  proudly. 

"  So  much  the  better !"  replied  the  favorite,  and  he 
drew  a  deep  breath,  as  though  the  artist's  words  had  re- 
lieved his  mind  of  a  burden.  "Ah !  so  much  the  better. 
Can  you  tell  me  where  to  find  the  fair  Arsinoe's  sister  ?" 


284  THE    EMPEROR. 

"To  be  sure,"  replied  the  artist,  and  he  felt  pleased 
that  the  young  Bythinian  should  cling  to  his  arm. 
Within  the  next  hour,  Pollux,  from  whose  lips  there 
flowed  a  stream  of  eager  and  enthusiastic  words,  like 
water  from  a  spring,  had  completely  won  the  heart  of 
the  Emperor's  favorite. 

The  girl  found  both  her  father  and  Helios,  who  no 
longer  looked  like  a  sick  patient — fast  asleep.  The  old 
slave- woman  came  in  a  few  mintes  after  her,  and  when  at 
last,  after  unbinding  her  hair,  Arsinoe  threw  herself  on  her 
bed  she  fell  asleep  instantly,  and  in  her  dreams  found  her- 
self once  more  by  the  side  of  her  Pollux,  while  they 
both  were  flying  to  the  sound  of  drums,  flutes,  and 
cymbals  high  above  the  dusty  ways  of  earth,  like  leaves 
swept  on  by  the  wind. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  steward  awoke  soon  after  sunrise.  He  had 
slept  no  less  soundly,  it  is  true,  in  his  arm-chair  than  in 
his  bed,  but  he  did  not  feel  refreshed,  and  his  limbs 
ached. 

In  the  living-room  everything  was  in  the  same  dis- 
order as  on  the  previous  evening,  and  this  annoyed  him, 
for  he  was  accustohied  to  find  his  room  in  order  when 
he  entered  it  in  the  morning.  On  the  table,  surrounded 
by  flies,  stood  the  remains  of  the  children's  supper,  and 
among  the  bread  crusts  and  plates  lay  his  own  orna- 
ments and  his  daughter's !  Wherever  he  turned  he  saw 
articles  of  dress  and  other  things  out  of  their  place. 

The  old  slave-woman  came  in  yawning,  her  woolly 


THE    EMPEROR.  285 

grey  hair  hung  in  disorder  about  her  face,  and  her  eyes 
seemed  fixed,  her  feet  carried  her  unsteadily  here  and 
there. 

"You  are  drunk,"  cried  Keraunus;  nor  was  he  mis- 
taken, for  when  the  old  woman  had  waked  up,  sitting 
by  the  house  of  Pudeus,  and  had  learned  from  the  gate- 
keeper that  Arsinoe  had  quitted  the  garden,  she  had 
gone  into  a  tavern  with  other  slave-women.  When  her 
master  seized  her  arm  and  shook  her,  she  exclaimed 
with  a  stupid  grin  on  her  wet  lips : 

"  It  is  the  feast-day.  Every  one  is  free,  to-day  is 
the  feast." 

"  Roman  nonsense  !"  interrupted  the  steward.  "  Is 
my  breakfast  ready  ?" 

While  the  old  woman  stood  muttering  some  inaudi- 
ble words,  the  slave  came  into  the  room  and  said : 

"  To-day  is  a  general  holiday,  may  I  go  out  too  ?" 

"Oh  that  would  suit  me  admirably!"  cried  the 
steward.  "This  monster  drunk,  Selene  sick,  and 'you 
running  about  the  streets." 

"  But  no  one  stops  at  home  to-day,"  replied  the 
slave  timidly. 

"  Be  off  then !"  cried  Keraunus.  "  Walk  about  from 
now  till  midnight !  Do  as  you  please,  only  do  noir  ex- 
pect me  to  keep  you  any  longer.  You  are  still  fit  to 
turn  the  hand-mill,  and  I  dare  say  I  can  find  a  fool  to 
give  me  a  few  drachmae  for  you." 

"  No,  no,  do  not  sell  me,"  groaned  the  old  man, 
raising  his  hands  in  entreaty ;  Keraunus  however  would 
not  hear  him,  but  went  on  angrily : 

"A  dog  at  least  remains  faithful  to  his  master,  but 
you  slaves  eat  him  out  of  house  and  home,  and  when 
he  most  needs  you,  you  want  to  run  about  the  streets." 


286  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  But  I  will  Stay,"  howled  the  old  man. 

"  Nay,  do  as  you  please.  You  have  long  been  like 
a  lame  horse  which  makes  its  rider  a  butt  for  the  laughter 
of  children.  When  you  go  out  with  me  every  one  looks 
round  as  if  I  had  a  stain  on  my  pallium.  And  then 
the  mangy  dog  wants  to  keep  holiday,  and  stick  him- 
self up  among  the  citizens  !" 

'*  I  will  stay  here,  only  do  not  sell  me !"  whimpered 
the  miserable  old  man,  and  he  tried  to  take  his  master's 
hand ;  but  the  steward  shoved  him  off,  and  desired  him 
to  go  into  the  kitchen  and  light  a  fire,  and  throw  some 
water  on  the  old  woman's  head  to  sober  her.  The 
slave  pushed  his  companion  out  of  the  room,  while 
Keraunus  went  into  his  daughter's  bedroom  to  rouse 
her. 

There  was  no  light  in  Arsinoe's  room  but  that 
which  could  creep  in  through  a  narrow  opening  Just  be- 
low the  ceiling;  the  slanting  rays  fell  directly  on  the 
bed  up  to  which  Keraunus  went.  There  lay  his  daughter 
in  sound  sleep  ;  her  pretty  head  rested  on  her  uplifted 
right  arm,  her  unbound  brown  hair  flowed  like  a  stream 
over  her  soft  round  shoulders  and  over  the  edge  of  the 
little  bed.  He  had  never  seen  the  child  look  so  pretty, 
and  ihe  sight  of  her  really  touched  his  heart,  for  Arsinoe 
reminded  him  of  his  lost  wife,  and  it  was  not  vain  pride 
merely,  but  a  movement  of  true  paternal  love,  which 
involuntarily  transformed  his  earnest  wish  that  the  gods 
might  leave  him  this  child  and  let  her  be  happy,  into  an 
unspoken  but  fervent  prayer. 

He  was  not  accustomed  to  waking  his  daughter 
who  was  always  up  and  busy  before  he  was,  and  he 
could  hardly  bear  to  disturb  his  darling's  sweet  sleep; 
but  it  had  to  be  done,  so  he  called  Arsinoe  by  her  name, 


THE    EMPEROR.  287 

shook  her  arm  and  said,  as  at  last  she  sat  up  and  looked 
at  him  enquiringly : 

"  It  is  I,  get  up,  remember  what  has  to  be  done  to- 
day." 

"  Yes — yes,"  she  said  yawning,  "  but  it  is  so  early 
yet !" 

"  Early,"  said  Keraunus,  smiling.  "  My  stomach 
says  the  contrary.  The  sun  is  already  high,  and  I  have 
not  yet  had  my  porridge." 

"  Make  the  old  woman  cook  it." 

"  No,  no,  my  child — you  must  get  up.  Have  you 
forgotten  whom  you  are  to  represent  ?  And  my  hair 
is  to  be  curled,  and  the  prefect's  wife,  and  then  your 
dress." 

"  Very  well — go ;  I  do  not  care  the  least  bit  about 
Roxana  and  all  the  dressing-up." 

"  Because  you  are  not  yet  quite  awake,"  laughed  the 
steward.     "How  did  this  ivy-leaf  get  into  your  hair?" 

Arsinoe  colored,  put  her  hand  to  the  spot  indicated 
by  her  father,  and  said  reluctantly  : 

*'  Out  of  some  bough  or  another,  but  now  go  that  I 
may  get  up." 

"  In  a  minute — tell  me  how  did  you  find  Selene  ?" 

"  Not  so  very  bad — but  J  will  tell  you  all  about  that 
afterwards.     Now  I  want  to  be  alone." 

When,  half  an  hour  later,  Arsinoe  brought  her  father 
his  porridge  he  gazed  at  the  child  in  astonishment. 
Some  extraordinary  change  seemed  to  have  come  over 
his  daughter.  Something  shone  in  her  eyes  that  he  had 
never  observed  before,  and  that  gave  her  childlike 
features  an  importance  and  significance  that  almost 
startled  him.  While  she  was  making  the  porridge, 
Keraunus,  with  the  slave's  help,  had  taken  the  children 


288  THE    EMPEROR. 

up  and  dressed  them;  now  they  were  all  sitting  at 
breakfast ;  Helios  among  them  fresh  and  blooming.  Now, 
while  Arsinoe  told  her  father  all  about  Selene,  and  the 
nursing  she  was  having  at  dame  Hannah's  hands, 
Keraunus  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  her,  and  when  she  no- 
ticed this  and  asked  impatiently  what  there  was  pecu- 
liar in  her  appearance  to-day,  he  shook  his  head  and 
answered : 

"  What  strange  things  are  girls  !  A  great  honor  has 
been  done  you.  You  are  to  represent  the  bride  of  Alex- 
ander, and  pride  and  delight  have  changed  you  wonder- 
fully in  a  single  night — but  I  think  to  your  disadvantage. 

"  Folly,"  said  Arsinoe  reddening,  and  stretching  her- 
self with  fatigue  she  threw  herself  back  on  a  couch. 
She  did  not  feel  weary  exactly,  for  the  lassitude  she  felt 
in  every  limb  had  a  peculiar  pleasure  in  it.  She  felt  as 
if  she  had  come  out  of  a  hot  bath,  and  since  her  father 
had  roused  her  she  seemed  to  hear,  again  and  again,  the 
sound  of  the  inspiriting  music  which  she  had  followed 
arm  in  arm  with  Pollux.  Now  and  again  she  smiled,  now 
and  again  she  gazed  straight  before  her,  and  at  the  same 
time  she  said  to  herself  that  if  at  this  very  moment  her 
lover  were  to  ask  her,  she  would  not  lack  strength  to 
fling  herself  at  once,  with  him,  once  more  into  the 
mad  whirl.  Yes — she  felt  perfectly  fresh !  only  her 
eyes  burned  a  little;  and  if  Keraunus  fancied  he  saw 
anything  new  in  his  daughter  it  must  be  the  glowing 
light  which  now  lurked  in  them  along  with  the  playful 
sparkle  he  had  always  seen  there. 

When  breakfast  was  over  the  slave  took  the  children 
out,  and  Arsinoe  had  begun  to  curl  her  father's  hair, 
when  Keraunus  put  on  his  most  dignified  attitude  and 
said  ponderously : 


THE    EMPEROR.  289 

"  My  child." 

The  girl  dropped  the  heated  tongs  and  calmly  asked. 
"  Well" — fully  prepared  to  hear  one  of  the  wonderful 
propositions  which  Selene  was  wont  to  oppose. 

"  Listen  to  me  attentively." 

Now,  what  Keraunus  was  about  to  say  had  only 
occurred  to  him  an  hour  since  when  he  had  spoiled  his 
slave's  desire  to  go  out ;  but  as  he  said  it  he  pressed  his 
hand  to  his  forehead  assuming  the  expression  of  a 
meditative  philosopher. 

'*  For  a  long  time  I  have  been  considering  a  very 
important  matter.  Now  I  have  come  to  a  decision 
and  I  will  confide  it  to  you.  We  must  buy  a  new  man- 
slave." 

"  But  father !"  cried  Arsinoe,  "  think  what  it  will  cost 
you.     If  we  have  another  man  to  feed — " 

"  There  is  no  question  of  that,"  replied  Keraunus. 
"  I  will  exchange  the  old  one  for  a  younger  one  that 
I  need  not  be  ashamed  to  be  seen  with.  Yesterday  I 
told  you  that  henceforth  we  shall  attract  greater  atten- 
tion than  hitherto,  and  really  if  we  appear  with  that 
black  scarecrow  at  our  heels  in  the  streets  or  else- 
where— " 

"  Certainly  we  cannot  make  much  show  with 
Sebek,"  interrupted  Arsinoe,  "  but  we  can  leave  him  at 
home  for  the  future." 

"Child,  child !"  exclaimed  Keraunus  reproachfully, 
"  will  you  never  remember  who  and  what  we  are.  How 
would  it  beseem  us  to  appear  in  the  streets  without  a 
slave  ?" 

The  girl  shrugged  her  shoulders,  and  put  it  to  her 
father  that  Sebek  was  an  old  piece  of  family  property, 
that  the  little  ones  were  fond  of  him  because  he  cared 

The  Emfieror.   I.  lO 


2gO  THE    EMPEROR. 

for  them  like  a  nurse,  that  a  new  slave  would  cost  a 
great  deal  and  would  only  be  driven  by  force  to  many 
services  which  the  old  one  was  always  ready  and  willing 
to  fulfil. 

But  Arsinoe  preached  to  deaf  ears.  Selene  was  not 
there ;  secure  from  her  reproaches  and  as  anxious 
as  a  spoiled  boy  for  the  thing  that  was  denied 
him,  Keraunus  adhered  to  his  determination  to  exchange 
the  faithful  old  fellow  for  a  new  and  more  showy  slave. 
Not  for  a  moment  did  he  think  of  the  miserable  fate 
that  threatened  the  decrepit  creature,  who  had  grown  old 
in  his  house,  if  he  were  to  sell  him ;  but  he  still  had  a 
feeling  that  it  was  not  quite  right  to  spend  the  last 
money  that  had  chanced  to  come  into  the  house,  on  a 
thing  that  really  and  truly  was  not  in  any  way  necessary. 
The  more  justifiable  Arsinoe's  doubts  seemed  to  be  and 
the  more  loudly  did  an  inward  voice  warn  him  not  to 
offer  this  fresh  sacrifice  to  his  vain-gloriousness,  the 
more  firmly  and  desperately  did  he  defend  his  wish  to 
do  so ;  and  as  he  fought  for  the  thing  he  desired,  it  ac- 
quired in  his  eyes  a  semblance  of  necessity  and  a  num- 
ber of  reasons  suggested  themselves  which  made  it  ap- 
pear both  justifiable  and  easy  of  attainment. 

There  was  money  in  hand;  after  Arsinoe's  being 
chosen  for  the  part  of  Roxana  he  might  expect  to  be 
able  to  borrow  more  ;  it  was  his  duty  to  appear  with  due 
dignity  that  he  might  not  scare  off"  the  illustrious  son-in- 
law  of  whom  he  dreamed,  and  in  the  extremity  of  need 
he  could  still  fall  back  on  his  collection  of  rarities.  The 
only  thing  was  to  find  the  right  purchaser;  for,  if  the 
sword  of  Antony  had  brought  him  so  much,  what 
would  not  some  amateur  give  him  for  the  other,  far  more 
valuable,  objects. 


THE    EMPEROR.  29I 

Arsinoe  turned  red  and  white  as  her  father  referred 
again  and  again  to  the  bargain  she  had  made ;  but  she 
dared  not  confess  the  truth,  and  she  rued  her  falsehood 
^11  the  more  bitterly  the  more  clearly  she  saw  with  her 
own  sound  sense,  that  the  honor  which  had  fallen  upon 
her  yesterday,  threatened  to  develop  all  her  father's 
weaknesses  in  an  absolutely  fatal  manner. 

To-day  she  would  have  been  amply  satisfied  with 
pleasing  Pollux,  and  she  would,  without  a  regret  have 
transferred  to  another  her  part  with  all  the  applause  and 
admiration  it  would  procure  her,  and  which,  only  yes- 
terday, had  seemed  to  her  so  inestimably  precious. 
This  she  said ;  but  Keraunus  would  not  take  the  asser- 
tion in  earnest,  laughed  in  her  face,  went  off  into  mys- 
terious allusions  to  the  wealth  which  could  not  fail  to 
come  into  the  house  and — since  an  obscure  conscious- 
ness told  him  that  it  would  be  becoming  him  to  prove 
that  it  was  not  solely  personal  vanity  and  self-esteem 
that  influenced  all  his  proceedings — he  explained  that 
he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  a  great  sacrifice  and  would 
be  content  on  the  coming  occasion  to  wear  his  gilt  fillet 
and  not  .buy  a  pure  gold  one.  By  this  act  of  self-denial 
he  fancied  he  had  acquired  a  full  right  to  devote  a  very 
pretty  little  sum  to  the  acquisition  of  a  fine-looking 
slave.  Arsinoe's  entreaties  were  unheeded,  and  when 
she  began  to  cry  with  grief  at  the  prospect  of  losing  her 
old  house-mate  he  forbid  her  crossly  to  shed  a  tear  for 
such  a  cause,  for  it  was  very  childish,  and  he  would  not 
be  pleased  to  conduct  her  with  red  eyes  to  meet  the 
prefect's  wife. 

During  the  course  of  this  argument  his  hair  had  got 
itself  duly  curled,  and  he  now  desired  Arsinoe  to  ar- 
range her  own  hair  nicely  and  then  to  accompany  him. 

19* 


29c  THE    EMPEROR. 

They  would  buy  a  new  dress  and  peplum,  go  to  see  Se- 
lene, and  then  be  carried  to  the  prefect's. 

Only  yesterday  he  had  thought  it  too  bold  a  step  to 
use  a  litter,  and  to-day  he  was  already  considering  the 
propriety  of  hiring  a  chariot. 

No  sooner  was  he  alone  than  a  new  idea  occurred  to 
him.  The  insolent  architect  should  be  taught  that  he 
was  not  the  man  to  be  insulted  and  injured  with  im- 
punity. So  he  cut  a  clean  strip  of  papyrus  off  a  letter 
that  lay  in  his  chest,  and  wrote  upon  it  the  following 
words : 

"  Keraunus,  the  Macedonian,  to  Claudius  Venator, 
the  architect,  of  Rome  : " 

"My  eldest  daughter,  Selene,  is  by  your  fault,  so 
severely  hurt  that  she  is  in  great  danger,  is  kept"  to  her 
bed  and  suffers  frightful  pain.  My  other  children  are 
no  longer  safe  in  their  father's  house,  and  I  therefore 
require  you,  once  more,  to  chain  up  your  dog.  If  you 
refuse  to  accede  to  this  reasonable  demand  I  will  lay 
the  matter  before  Caesar.  I  can  tell  you  that  circum- 
stances have  occurred  which  will  determine  Hadrian  to 
punish  any  insolent  person  who  may  choose  to  neglect 
the  respect  due  to  me  and  to  my  daughters." 

When  Keraunus  had  closed  this  letter  with  his  seal 
he  called  the  slave  and  said  coldly  : 

"  Take  this  to  the  Roman  architect,  and  then  fetch 
two  litters ;  make  haste,  and  while  we  are  out  take  good 
care  of  the  children.  To-morrow  or  next  day  you  will 
be  sold.  To  whom  ?  That  must  depend  on  how  you 
behave  during  the  last  hours  that  you  belong  to  us." 

The  negro  gave  a  loud  cry  of  grief  that  came  from 
the  depth  of  his  heart,  and  flung  himself  on  the  ground 
at  the  steward's  feet.     His  cry  did  indeed  pierce  his 


THE    EMPEROR.  293 

master's  soul — but  Keraunus  had  made  up  his  mind  not 
to  let  himself  be  moved  nor  to  yield.  But  the  negro 
clung  more  closely  to  his  knees,  and  when  the  children, 
attracted  to  the  spot  by  their  poor  old  friend's  lamenta- 
tion, cried  loudly  in  unison,  and  little  Hehos  began  to 
pat  and  stroke  the  little  remains  of  the  negro's  woolly 
hair,  the  vain  man  felt  uneasy  about  the  heart,  and  to 
protect  himself  against  his  own  weakness  he  cried  out 
loudly  and  violently  : 

"  Now,  away  with  you,  and  do  as  you  are  ordered 
or  I  will  find  the  whip." 

With  these  words  he  tore  himself  loose  from  the 
miserable  old  man  who  left  the  room  with  his  head 
hanging  down,  and  who  soon  was  standing  at  the  door 
of  the  Emperor's  rooms  with  the  letter  in  his  hand. 
Hadrian's  appearance  and  manner  had  filled  him  with 
terror  and  respect,  and  he  dared  not  knock  at  the  door. 
After  he  had  waited  for  some  time,  still  with  tears  in  his 
eyes.  Master  came  into  the  passage  with  the  remains  of 
his  master's  breakfast.  The  negro  called  to  him  and  held 
out  the  steward's  letter,  stammering  out  lamentably  : 

"From  Keraunus,  for  you  master." 

"Lay  it  here  on  the  tray,"  said  the  Sarmatian. 
•"  But  what  has  happened  to  you,  my  old  friend  ?  you 
are  wailing  most  pitifully  and  look  miserable.  Have 
you  been  beaten  ?" 

The  negro  shook  his  head  and  answered,  whimper- 
ing:    "  Keraunus  is  going  to  sell  me." 

"  There  are  better  masters  than  he." 

"  But  Sebek  is  old,  Sebek  is  weak — he  can  no  longer 
lift  and  pull,  and  with  hard,  work  he  will  certainly  die." 

"  Has  Hfe  been  so  easy  and  comfortable  then  at  the 
steward's  ?" 


294 


THE    EMPEROR. 


"  Very  little  wine,  very  little  meat,  very  much  hun- 
ger," said  the  old  man. 

"Then  you  must  be  glad  to  leave  him." 

"  No,  no,"  groaned  Sebek. 

"  You  foolish  old  owl,"  said  Mastor.  "  Why  do  you 
care  then  for  that  grumpy  niggard  ?" 

The  negro  did  not  answer  for  some  time,  then  his 
lean  breast  heaved  and  fell,  and,  as  if  the  dam  were 
broken  through  that  had  choked  his  utterance,  he  burst 
out  with  a  mixture  of  loud  sobs : 

"  The  children,  the  little  ones,  our  little  ones.  They 
are  so  sweet;  and  our  little  blind  Helios  stroked  my 
hair  because  I  was  to  go  away,  here — ^just  here  he 
stroked  it " — and  he  put  his  hand  on  a  perfectly  bald 
place — "  and  now  Sebek  must  go  and  never  see  them 
all  again,  just  as  if  they  were  all  dead." 

And  the  words  rolled  out  and  with  difficulty,  as  if 
carried  on  in  the  flood  of  his  tears.  They  went  to 
Master's  heart,  rousing  the  memory  of  his  own  lost 
children  and  a  strong  desire  to  comfort  his  unhappy 
comrade. 

"  Poor  fellow  !"  he  said,  compassionately.  "  Aye, 
the  children  !  they  are  so  small,  and  the  door  into  one's 
heart  is  so  narrow — and  they  dance  in  at  it  a  thousand 
times  better  and  more  easily  than  grown-up  folks.  I, 
too,  have  lost  dear  children,  and  they  were  my  own, 
too.  I  can  teach  any  one  what  is  meant  by  sorrow — 
but  I  know  too  now  where  comfort  is  to  be  found." 

With  these  words  Mastor  held  the  tray  he  was  carry- 
ing on  his  hip  with  his  right  hand,  while  he  put  the  left 
on  the  negro's  shoulder  and  whispered  to  him  : 

"  Have  you  ever  heard  of  the  Christians  ?" 

Sebek  nodded  eagerly  as  if  Mastor  were  speaking  of 


THV.    EMPEROR. 


295 


a  matter  of  which  he  had  heard  great  things  and  ex- 
pected much,  and  Master  went  on  in  a  low  voice : 

"  Come  early  to-morrow  before  sunrise  to  the  pave- 
ment-workers in  the  court,  and  there  you  will  hear  of 
One  who  comforts  the  weary  and  heavy-laden." 

The  Emperor's  servant  once  more  took  his  tray  in 
both  hands  and  hurried  away,  but  a  faint  gleam  of  hope 
had  Hghted  up  in  the  old  slave's  eyes.  He  expected  no 
happiness,  but  perhaps  there  might  be  some  way  of 
bearing  the  sorrows  of  life  more  easily. 

Mastor  as  soon  he  had  given  his  tray  to  the  kitchen 
slaves — who  were  now  busy  again  in  the  palace  at  Lo- 
chias— returned  to  his  lord  and  gave  him  the  steward's 
letter.  It  was  an  ill-chosen  hour  for  Keraunus,  for  the 
Emperor  was  in  a  gloomy  mood.  He  had  sat  up  till 
morning,  had  rested  scarcely  three  hours,  and  now,  with 
knitted  brows,  was  comparing' the  results  of  his  night's 
observation  of  the  starry  sky  with  certain  astronomical 
tables  which  lay  spread  out  before  him.  Over  this 
work  he  frequently  shook  his  head  which  was  covered 
with,  crisp  waves  of  hair ;  nay — he  ,once  flung  the  pen- 
cil, with  which  he  was  working  his  calculations,  down 
on  the  table,  leaned  back  in  his  seat  and  covered  his 
eyes  with  both  hands.  Then  again  he  began  to  write 
fresh  numbers,  but  his  new  results  seemed  to  be  no 
more  satisfactory  than  the  former  one. 

The  steward's  letter  had  been  for  a  long  time  lying 
before  him  when  at  last  it  again  caught  his  attention  as 
he  put  out  his  hand  for  another  document.  Needing 
some  change  of  ideas  he  tore  it  open,  read  it  and  flung 
it  from  him  with  annoyance.  At  any  other  time  he 
would  have  expressed  some  sympathy  with  the  suffer- 
ing girl,  have  laughed  at  the  ridiculous  man,  and  have 


296  THE    EMPEROR. 

thought  out  some  trick  to  tease  or  to  terrify;  but  just 
now  the  steward's  threats  made  him  angry  and  increased 
his  dishke  for  him. 

Tired  of  the  silence  around  him  he  called  to  An- 
tinous,  who  sat  gazing  dreamily  down  on  the  harbor ; 
the  youth  immediately  approached  his  master.  Hadrian 
looked  at  him  and  said,  shaking  his  head  : 

*'  Why  you  too  look  as  if  some  danger  were  threat- 
ening you.     Is  the  sky  altogether  overcast  ?" 

"  No  my  lord,  it  is  blue  over  the  sea,  but  towards 
the  south  the  black  clouds  are  gathering." 

"  Towards  the  south  ?"  said  Hadrian  thoughtfully. 
"  Any  thing  serious  can  hardly  threaten  us  from  that 
quarter. — But  it  comes,  it  is  near,  it  is  upon  us  before 
we  suspect  it." 

"  You  sat  up  too  long,  and  that  has  put  you  out  of 
tune." 

"  Out  of  tune  ?"  muttered  Hadrian  to  himself.  "And 
what  is  tune  ?  That  subtle  harmony  or  discord  is  a 
condition  which  masters  all  the  emotions  of  the  soul  at 
once ;  and  not  without  reason — to-day  my  heart  is  par- 
alyzed with  anxiety." 

"  Then  you  have  seen  evil  signs  in  the  heavens  ?" 

"  Direful  signs !" 

"  You  wise  men  believe  in  the  stars,"  replied  Antin- 
ous.  "  No  doubt  you  are  right,  but  my  weak  head  can- 
not understand  what  their  regular  courses  have  to  do 
with  my  inconstant  wanderings." 

"  Grow  gray,"  replied  the  Emperor,  "  learn  to  com- 
prehend the  universe  with  your  intellect,  and  not  till 
then  speak  of  these  things  for  not  till  then  will 
you  discern  that  every  atom  of  things  created,  and  the 
greatest  as  well  as  the  least,  is  in  the  closest  bonds  with 


THE    KM  PERU  K.  297 

every  other;  that  all  work  together,  and  each  depends 
on  all.  All  that  is  or  ever  will  be  in  nature,  all  that 
we  men  feel,  think  or  do,  all  is  dependent  on  eternal  and 
immutable  causes ;  and  these  causes  have  each  their 
Daimon  who  interposes  between  us  and  tlie  divinity  and 
is  symbolized  in  golden  characters  on  the  vault  of 
heaven.  The  letters  are  the  stars,  whose  orbits  are  as 
unchanging  and  everlasting  as  are  the  first  causes  of  all 
that  exists  or  happens." 

"  And  aje  you  quite  sure  that  you  never  read  wrongly 
in  this  great  record  ?"  asked  Antinous. 

"  Even  I  may  err,!'  replied  Hadrian.  "  But  this 
time  I  have  not  deceived  myself  A  heavy  misfortune 
threatens  me.  It  is  a  strange,  terrible  and  extraordinary 
coincidence!"  ^ 

"  What  ?" 

'*  From  that  accursed  Antioch  —  whence  nothing 
good  has  ever  come  to  me — I  have  received  the  say- 
ing of  an  oracle  which  foretells  that,  that — why  should 
I  hide  it  from  you — in  the  middle  of  the  year  now 
about  to  begin  some  dreadful  misfortune  shall  fall  upon 
me,  as  lightning  strikes  tlie  traveller  to  the  earth ;  and  to- 
night— look  here.  Here  is  the  house  of  Death,  here 
are  the  planets — ^but  what  do  you  know  of  such  things? 
Last  night — the  night  in  which  once  before  such  terrors 
were  wrought,  the  stars  confirmed  the  fatal  oracle  with 
as  much  naked  plainness,  as  much  unmistakable  cer- 
tainty as  if  they  had  tongues  to  shout  the  evil  forecast 
in  my  ear.  It  is  hard  to  walk  on  with  such  a  goal  in  pros- 
pect.   What  may  not  the  new  year  bring  in  its  course?" 

Hadrian  sighed  deeply,  but  Antinous  went  close  up 
to  him,  fell  on  his  knees  before  him  and  asked  in  a  tone 
of  childlike  humility  ^ 


298  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  May  I,  a  poor  foolish  lad,  teach  a  great  and  wise 
man  how  to  enrich  his  life  with  six  happy  months  ?" 

The  Emperor  smiled,  as  though  he  knew  what  was 
coming,  but  his  favorite  felt  encouraged  to  proceed. 

"  Leave  the  future  to  the  future,"  he  said.  "  What 
must  come  will  come,  for  the  gods  themselves  have  no 
power  agaist  Fate.  When  evil  is  approaching  it  casts  its 
black  shadow  before  it ;  you  fix  your  gaze  on  it  and  let 
it  darken  the  light  of  day.  I  saunter  dreamily  on  my 
way  and  never  see  misfortune  till  it  runs  up.against  me 
and  falls  upon  me  unawares — " 

"  And  so  you  are  spared  many  a  gloomy  day,"  in- 
terrupted Hadrian. 

"  That  is  just  what  I  would  have  said." 

"  And  your  advice  is  excellent,  for  you  and  for  every 
other  loiterer  through  the  gay  fair-time  of  an  idle  life," 
replied  the  Emperor,  "  but  the  man  whose  task  it  is  to 
bear  millions  in  safety  and  over  abysses,  must  watch  the 
signs  around  him,  look  out  far  and  near,  and  never  dare 
close  his  eyes,  even  when  such  terrors  loom  as_  it  was 
my  fate  to  see  during  the  past  night." 

As  he  spoke,  Phlegon,  the  Emperor's  private  secre- 
tary, came  in  with  letters  just  received  from  Rome, 
and  approached  his  master.  He  bowed  low,  and  taking 
up  Hadrian's  last  words  he  said: 

"  The  stars  disquiet  you,  Caesar  ?" 

"  Well,  they  warn  me  to  be  on  my  guard,"  replied 
Hadrian. 

"  Let  us  hope  that  they  lie,"  cried  the  Greek,  with 
cheerful  vivacity.  "  Cicero  was  not  altogether  wrong 
when  he  doubted  the  arts  of  Astrology." 

"  He  was  a  mere  talker !"  said  the  Emperor,  with  a 
frown. 


THE    EMPEROR. 


299 


"  But,"  asked  Phlegon,  "  would  it  not  be  fair  that 
if  the  horoscopes  cast  for  Cneius  or  Caius,  let  us  say, 
were  ahke,  to  expect  that  Cneius  or  Caius  must  have 
the  same  temperament  and  the  same  destiny  through 
Ufe  if  they  had  happened  to  be  bom  in  the  same  hour  ?" 

"  Always  the  old  commonplaces,  the  old  silly  objec- 
tions !"  interrupted  Hadrian,  vexed  to  the  verge  of  rage. 
'*  Speak  when  you  are  spoken  to,  and  do  not  trouble 
yourself  about  things  you  do  not  understand  and  which 
do  not  concern  you.  Is  there  anything  of  importance 
among  these  papers  ?  " 

Antinous  gazed  at  his  sovereign  in  astonishment ; 
why  should  Phlegon's  objections  make  him  so  furious 
when  he  had  answered  his  so  kindly  ? 

Hadrian  paid  no  farther  heed  to  him,  but  read  the 
despatches  one  after  another,  hastily  but  attentively, 
wrote  brief  notes  on  the  margins,  signed  a  decree  with 
a  firm  hand,  and,  when  his  work  was  finished  desired 
the  Greek  to  leave  him.  Hardly  was  he  alone  with 
Antinous  when  the  loud  cries  and  jovial  shouting  of  a 
large  multitude  came  to  their  ears  through  the  open  win- 
dow. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ?"  he  asked  Mastor,  and  as 
soon  as  he  had  been  informed  that  the  workmen  and 
slaves  had  just  been  let  out  to  give  themselves  up  to  the 
pleasures  of  their  holiday,  he  muttered  to  himself: 

"  These  creatures  can  riot,  shout,  dress  themselves 
with  garlands,  forget  themselves  in  a  debauch — and  I, 
I  whom  all  envy — I  spoil  my  brief  span  of  life  with 
vain  labors,  let  myself  be  tormented  with  consuming 
cares — I — "  here  he  broke  off  and  cried  in  quite  aa 
altered  tone  : 

"  Ha  !  ha !  Antinous,  you  are  wiser  than  I.     Let  us 


300  THE    EMPEROR. 

leave  the  future  to  the  future.  The  feast-day  is  ours 
too  ;  let  us  take  advantage  of  this  day  of  freedom.  We 
too  will  throw  ourselves  into  the  holiday  whirlpool — 
disguised,  I  as  a  satyr,  and  you  as  a  young  faun  or 
something  of  the  kind;  we  will  drain  cups,  wander 
round  the  city  and  enjoy  all  that  is  enjoyable." 

"  Oh !"  exclaimed  Antinous,  joyfully  clapping  his 
hands. 

"  Evoe  Bacche  !"  cried  Hadrian,  tossing  up  his  cup 
that  stood  on  his  table.  You  are  free  till  this  evening, 
Master,  and  you  my  boy,  go  and  talk  to  Pollux,  the 
sculptor.  He  shall  be  our  guide  and  he  will  provide 
us  with  wreaths  and  some  mad  disguise.  I  must  see 
drunken  men,  I  must  laugh  with  the  jolliest  before  I  am 
Caesar  again.  Make  haste,  my  friend,  or  new  cares 
will  come  to  spoil  my  holiday  mood." 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

Antinous  and  Mastor  at  once  quitted  the  Em- 
peror's room;  in  the  corridor  the  lad  beckoned  the  slave 
to  him  and  said  in  a  low  voice : 

"  You  can  hold  your  tongue  I  know,  will  you  do 
me  a  favor  ?" 

"Three  sooner  than  one,"  replied  the  Sarmatian. 

"  You  are  free  to-day — are  you  going  into  the  city  ?" 

"  I  think  so." 

"  You  are  not  known  here,  but  that  does  not  mat- 
ter. Take  these  gold  pieces  and  in  the  flower-market 
buy  with  one  of  them  the  most  beautiful  bunch  of  flowers 
you  can  find,  with  another  you  may  make  merry,  and 


THE    EMPEROR.  30! 

out  of  the  remainder  spend  a  drachma  in  hiring  an  ass. 
The  driver  will  conduct  you  to  the  garden  of  Pudeus' 
widow  where  stands  the  house  of  dame  Hannah ;  you 
remember  the  name  ?" 

"  Dame  Hannah  and  the  widow  of  Pudeus." 
"And  at  the  little  house,  not  the  big  one,  leave  the 
flowers  for  the  sick  Selene." 

^  "The  daughter  of  the  fat  steward,  Avho  was  attacked 
by  our  big  dog?"  asked  Mastor,  curiously. 

"She  or  another,"  said  Antinous,  impatiently,  "and 
when  they  ask  you  who  sent  the  flowers,  say  '  the  friend 
at  Lochias,'  nothing  more.  You  understand." 
The  slave  nodded  and  said  to  himself: 
"  What !  you  too — oh  !  these  women." 
Antinous  signed  to  him  to  be  silent,  impressed  on 
him  in  a  few  hasty  words  that  he  was  to  be  discreet  and 
to  pick  out  the  very  choicest  flowers,  and  then  betook 
himself  into  the  hall  of  the  Muses  to  seek  Pollux. 
From  him  he  had  learnt  where  to  find  the  suffering  Se- 
lene, of  whom  he  could  not  help  thinking  incessantly 
and  wherever  he  might  be.  He  did  not  find  the  sculp- 
tor in  his  screened-off"  nook ;  prompted  by  a  wish  to 
speak  to  his  mother,  Pollux  had  gone  down  to  the  gate- 
house where  he  was  now  standing  before  her  and  frankly 
narrating,  with  many  eager  gestures  of  his  long  arms, 
all  that  had  occurred  on  the  previous  night.  His  story 
flowed  on  like  a  song  of  triumph,  and  when  he  de- 
scribed how  the  holiday  procession  had  carried  away 
Arsinoe  and  himself,  the  old  woman  jumped  up  from  her 
chair  and  clapping  her  fat  little  hands,  she  exclaimed  : 

"  Ah  !  that  is  pleasure,  that  is  happiness  !  I  remem- 
ber flying  along  with  your  father  in  just  the  same  way 
thirty  years   ago." 


3P2  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  And  since  thirty  years,"  Pollux  interposed.  "  I  can 
still  remember  very  well  how  at  one  of  the  great  Diony- 
siac  festivals,  fired  by  the  power  of  the  god,  you  rushed 
through  the  streets  with  a  deer-skin  over  your 
shoulders." 

"  That  was  delightful — ^lovely !"  cried  Doris  with 
sparkling  eyes.  "  But  thirty  years  since  it  was  all  differ- 
ent, very  different.  I  have  told  you  before  now  how  I 
went  with  our  maid-servant  into  the  Canopic  way  to  the 
house  of  my  aunt  Archidike  to  look  on  at  the  great  pro- 
cession. I  had  not  far  to  go  for  we  lived  near  the 
Theatre,  my  father  was  stage-manager  and  yours  was 
one  of  the  chief  singers  in  the  chorus.  We  hurried 
along,  but  all  sorts  of  people  stopped  us,  and  drunken 
men  wanted  to  joke  with  me," 

"  Ah,  you  were  as  sweet  as  a  rose-bud  then,"  her  son 
interrupted. 

"  As  a  rose-bud,  yes,  but  not  like  your  lovely  rose," 
said  the  old  woman.  "  At  any  rate  I  looked  nice 
enough  for  the  men  in  disguise — fauns  and  satyrs — 
and  were  the  cynic  hypocrites  in  their  ragged  cloaks,  to 
think  it  worth  while  to  look  at  me  and  to  take  a  rap 
on  the  knuckles  when  they  tried  to  put  an  arm  round 
me  or  to  steal  a  kiss,  I  did  not  care  for  the  handsom- 
est of  them,  for  Euphorion  had  done  for  me  with  his 
fiery  glances — not  with  words  for  I  was  very  strictly  kept 
and  he  had  never  been  able  to  get  a  chance  to  speak  to 
me.  At  the  corner  of  the  Canopic  way  and  the  Market 
street  we  could  get  no  farther,  for  the  crowd  had  blocked 
the  way  and. were  howling  and  storming  as  they  stared  at 
a  party  of  Klodones  and-  other  Maenads,  who  in  their 
sacred  fury  were  tearing  a  goat  to  pieces  with  their  teeth. 
I  shuddered  at  the  spectacle,  but  I  must  need  stare  with 


iHh;     EMPEROR.  303 

the  rest  and  shout  and  halloo  as  they  did.  My  maid,  who 
I  held  on  to  tightly,  was  seized  with  the  frenzy  and  drag- 
ged me  into  the  middle  of  the  circle  close  up  to  the 
Jjleeding  sacrifice.  Two  of  the  possessed  women  sprang 
upon  us,  and  I  felt  one  clasping  me  tightly  and  trying  to 
throw  me  down.  It  was  a  horrible  moment  but  I  de- 
fended myself  bravely  and  had  succeeded  in  keeping  on 
my  feet  when  your  father  sprang  forward,  set  me  free 
and  led  me  away.  What  happened  after  I  could  not 
tell  you  now ;  it  was  one  of  those  wild  happy  dreams 
in  which  you  must  hold  your  heart  with  both  hands  for 
fear  it  should  crack  with  joy,  or  fly  out  and  away  up 
to  the  sky  and  in  the  very  eye  of  the  sun.  Late  in  the 
evening  I  got  home  and  a  week  after  I  was  Euphorion's 
wife." 

"We  have  exactly  followed  your  example,"  said 
Pollux,  "  and  if  Arsinoe  grows  to  be  like  my  dear  old 
woman  I  shall  be  quite  satisfied." 

"  Happy  and  contented,"  replied  Doris.  "  Keep 
you  health,  snap  your  fingers  at  care  and  sorrow,  do 
your  duty  on  work-days  and  drink  till  you  are  jolly  in 
honor  of  the  god  on  holidays,  and  then  all  will  be  well. 
Those  who  do  all  they  are  able  and  enjoy  as  much  as  they 
can  get,  make  good  use  of  their  lives  and  need  feel  no 
remorse  in  their  last  hours.  What  is  past  is  done  for,  and 
when  Atropos  cuts  our  thread  some  one  else  will  stand 
in  our  place  and  joys  will  begin  all  over  again.  May 
the  gods  bless  you  !" 

"  You  are  right,"  said  Pollux  embracing  his  mother, 
''and  two  together  can  turn  the  work  out  of  hand  more 
lightly  and  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  existence  better  than 
each  alone — can  they  not  ?" 

"  I  am  sure  of  it ;  and  you  have  chosen  the  right 


304  THE     EMPEROR. 

mate,"  cried  the  old  woman.  "You  are  a  sculptor  and 
used  to  simple  things ;  you  need  no  riches,  only  a 
sweet  face  which  may  every  day  rejoice  your  heart,  and 
that  you  have  found." 

"  There  is  nowhere  a  sweeter  or  a  lovelier,"  said 
Pollux. 

"  No,  that  there  is  not,"  continued  Doris.  "  First  I 
cast  my  eyes  on  Selene.  She  need  not  be  ashamed  to 
show  herself  either,  and  she  is  a  pattern  for  girls;  but 
then  as  Arsinoe  grew  older,  whenever  she  passed  this 
way  I  thought  to  myself :  'that  girl  is  growing  up  for 
ray  boy,'  and  now  that  you  have  won  her  I  feel  as  if  I 
were  once  more  as  young  as  your  sweetheart  herself. 
My  old  heart  beats  as  happily  as  if  the  little  Loves  were 
touching  it  with  their  wings  and  rosy  fingers.  If  my 
feet  had  not  grown  so  heavy  with  constantly  standing 
over  the  hearth  and  at  washing — really  and  truly  I  could 
take  Euphorion  by  the  arm  and  dance .  through  the 
streets  with  him  to-day." 

"Where  is  fatlier?" 

"  Out  singing." 

"  In  the  morning !    where  ?" 

"  There  is  some  sect  that  are  celebrating  their  mys- 
teries. They  pay  well  and  he  had  to  sing  dismal 
hymns  for  them  behind  a  curtain ;  the  wildest  stuff,  in 
which  he  does  not  follow  a  word,  and  that  I  do  not  un- 
derstand a  half  of." 

"  It  is  a  pity  for  I  wanted  to  speak  to  him." 

"  He  will  not  be  back  till  late." 

"  There  is  plenty  of  time." 

"  So  much  the  better,  otherwise  I  might  have  told 
him  what  you  had  to  say." 

"  Your  advice  is  as  rjood  as  his.     I  think  of  giving 


THE    EMPEROR.  305 

up  working  under  Papias  and  standing  on  my  own 
feet." 

"  You  are  quite  right ;  the  Roman  architect  told  me 
yesterday  that  a  great  future  was  open  to  you." 

"  There  are  only  my  poor  sister  and  the  children  to 
be  considered.  If,  during  the  first  few  months  I  should 
find  myself  falling  short — " 

"  We  will  manage  to  pull  through.  It  is  high  time 
that  you  yourself  should  reap  from  what  you  sow." 

"  So  it  seems  to  me,  for  my  own  sake  and  Arsinoe's ; 
if  only  Keraunus — " 

"  Aye — there  will  be  a  battle  to  fight  with  him." 

"  A  hard  one,  a  hard  one,"  sighed  Pollux.  "  The 
thought  of  the  old  man  troubles  my  happiness." 

'•  Folly  !"  cried  Doris.  "  Avoid  all  useless  anxiety. 
It  is  almost  as  injurious  as  remorse  gnawing  at  your 
heart.  Take  a  workshop  of  your  own,  do  some  great 
work,  in  a  joyful  spirit,  something  to  astonish  the  world, 
and  I  will  wager  anything  that  the  old  fool  of  a  steward 
will  only  be  vexed  to  think  that  he  destroyed  the  first 
work  of  the  celebrated  Pollux,  instead  of  treasuring  it  in 
his  cabinet  of  curiosities.  Just  imagine  that  no  such 
person  exists  in  the  world  and  enjoy  your  happi- 
ness." 

"  I  will  stick  to  that." 

"  One  thing  more  my  lad :  take  good  care  of  Ar- 
sinoe.  She  is  young  and  inexperienced  and  you  must 
not  persuade  her  to  do  anything  you  would  advise  her 
not  to  do  if  she  were  betrothed  to  yoUr  brother  instead 
of  to  yourself" 

Doris  had  not  done  speaking  when  Antinous  came 
into  the  gate-house  and  delivered  the  commands  of  the 
architect  Claudius  Venator,  to  escort  him  through  the 

Tht  Emperor.  I.  ao 


3o6  THE     EMPEROR. 

city.  Pollux  hesitated  with  his  answer,  for  he  had  still 
much  to  do  in  the  palace,  and  he  hoped  to  see  Arsinoe 
again  in  the  course  of  the  day.  After  such  a  morning 
what  could  noon  and  evening  be  to  him  without  her? 
Dame  Doris  noticed  his  indecision  and  cried : 

"  Yes,  go ;  the  festival  is  for  pleasure,  besides,  the 
architect  can  perhaps  advise  you  on  many  points,  and 
recommend  you  to  his  friends." 

"  Your  mother  is  right,"  said  Antinous.  "  Claudius 
Venator  can  be  very  touchy,  but  he  can  also  be  grate- 
ful, and  I  wish  you  sincerely  well — " 

"  Good  then,  I  will  come,"  Pollux  interposed  while 
the  Bithynian  was  still  speaking,  for  he  felt  himself 
strongly  attracted  by  Hadrian's  imposing  personality 
and  considered  that  under  the  circumstances,  it  might 
be  very  desirable  to  revel  with  him  for  a  while. 

"  I  will  come,  but  first  I  must  let  Pontius  know  that 
I  am  going  to  fly  from  the  heat  of  the  fray  for  a  few 
hours  to-day." 

"  Leave  that  to  Venator,"  replied  the  favorite,  "  and 
you  must  find  some  amusing  disguise  and  procure 
masks  for  him  and  for  me  and,  if  you  like,  for  yourself 
too.  He  wants  to  join  the  revel  as  a  satyr  and  I  in 
some  other  disguise." 

"  Good,"  replied  the  sculptor.  "  I  will  go  at  once  and 
order  what  is  requisite.  A  quantity  of  dresses  for  the 
Dionysiac  processions  are  lying  in  our  workshop  and  in 
half  an  hour  I  will  be  back  with  the  things." 

"  But  pray  make  haste,"  Antinous  begged  him". 
"  My  master  cannot  bear  to  be  kept  waiting,  and  be- 
sides— one  thing — " 

At  these  words  Antinous  had  grown  embarrassed  and 
had  gone  quite  close  up  to  the  artist.     He  laid  his 


THE    EMPEROR.  307 

hand  on  his  shoulder  and  said  in  a  low  voice  but  im- 
pressively : 

"  Venator  stands  very  near  to  Caesar.  Beware  of 
saying  anything  before  him  that  is  not  in  Hadrian's 
favor." 

"  Is  your  master  Caesar's  spy  ?"  asked  Pollux,  look- 
ing suspiciously  at  Antinous.  "  Pontius  has  already 
given  me  a  similar  warning,  and  if  that  is  the  case — " 

"  No,  no,"  interrupted  the  lad  hastily.  "  Anything 
but  that ;  but  the  two  have  no  secrets  from  each  other 
and  Venator  talks  a  good  deal — cannot  hold  his 
tongue — " 

"  I  thank  you  and  will  be  on  my  guard." 

"  Aye  do  so — I  mean  it  honestly."  The  Bithynian 
held  out  his  hand  to  the  artist  with  an  expression  of 
warm  regard  on  his  handsome  features  and  with  an  in- 
describably graceful  ^sture.  Pollux  took  it  heartily, 
but  dame  Doris,  whose  old  eyes  had  been  fixed  as  if 
spellbound  on  Antinous,  seized  her  son's  arm  and  quite 
excited  by  the  sight  of  his  beauty  cried  out : 

"  Oh  !  what  a  splendid  creature !  moulded  by  the 
gods !  sacred  to  the  gods !  Pollux,  boy  !  you  might  al- 
most think  one  of  the  immortals  had  come  down  to 
earth," 

"  Look  at  my  old  woman!"  exclaimed  Pollux  laugh- 
ing, "  but  in  truth  friend,  she  has  good  reasons  for  her 
ecstasies,  I  could  follow  her  example." 

"  Hold  him  fast,  hold  him  fast !"  cried  Doris.  "  It 
he  only  will  let  you  take  his  likeness  you  can  show  the 
world  a  thing  worth  seeing." 

"  Will  you  ?"  interrupted  Pollux  turning  to  Hadrian's 
favorite. 

"  I  have  never  yet  been  able  to  keep  still  for  any 


3o8  THE    EMPEROR. 

artist,"  said  Antinous.  "  But  I  will  do  any  thing  you 
wish  to  please  you.  It  only  vexes  me  that  you  too 
should  join  in  the  chorus  with  the  rest  of  the  world. 
Farewell  for  the  present,  1  must  go  back  to  my  master.^' 

As  soon  as  the  youth  had  left  the  house  Doris  ex- 
claimed : 

"  Whether  a  work  of  art  is  good  for  any  thing  or  not 
I  can  only  guess  at,  but  as  to  what  is  beautiful  that  I 
know  as  well  as  any  other  woman  in  Alexandria.  If 
that  boy  will  stand  as  your  model  you  will  produce 
something  that  will  delight  men  and  turn  the  heads  of 
the  women,  and  you  will  be  sought  after  even  in  a 
workshop  of  your  own.  Eternal  gods  !  such  beauty  as 
that  is  sublime.  Why  are  there  no  means  of  preserving 
such  a  face  and  such  a  form  from  old  age  and  wrinkles  ?" 

"  I  know  the  means,  mother,"  said  Pollux,  as  he 
went  to  the  door.  "  It  is  called  Art :  to  her  it  is  given 
to  bestow  eternal  youth  on  this  mortal  Adonis." 

The  old  woman  glanced  at  her  son  with  pardona- 
ble pride,  and  confirmed  his  words  by  an  assenting 
nod.  While  she  fed  her  birds,  with  many  coaxing 
words,  and  made  one  which  was  a  special  favorite  pick 
crumbs  from  her  lips,  the  young  sculptor  was  hurrying 
through  the  streets  with  long  steps. 

He  was  greeted  as  he  went  with  many  a  cross  word, 
and  many  exclamations  rose  from  the  crowd  he  left  be- 
hind him,  for  he  pushed  his  way  by  the  weight  of  his 
tall  person  and  his  powerful  arms,  and  saw  and  heard, 
as  he  v/ent,  little  enough  of  what  was  going  around 
him.  He  thought  of  Arsinoe,  and  between  whiles  of 
Antinous  and  of  the  attitude  in  which  he  best  might  rep- 
resent him — whether  as  hero  or  god. 

In  the  flower-market,  near  the  Gymnasium,  he  was 


THE    EMPEROR. 


309 


for  a  moment  roused  from  his  reverie  by  a  picture  which 
struck  him  as  being  unusual  and  which  riveted  his  gaze, 
as  did  every  thing  exceptional  that  came  under  his  eyes. 
On  a  very  small  dark-colored  donkey  sat  a  tall,  well- 
dressed  slave,  who  held  in  his  right  hand  a  nosegay  of 
extraordinary  size  and  beauty.  By  his  side  walked  a 
smartly  dressed-up  man  with  a  splendid  wreadi,  and  a 
comic  mask  over  his  face  followed  by  two  garden-gods 
of  gigantic  stature,  and  four  graceful  boys.  In  the 
slave,  Pollux  at  once  recognized  the  servant  of  Claudius 
Venator,  and  he  fancied  he  must  have  seen  the  masked 
gentlemen  too  before  now,  but  he  could  not  remember 
where,  and  did  not  trouble  himself  to  retrace  him  in  his 
mind.  At  any  rate,  the  rider  of  the  donkey  had  just 
heard  something  he  did  not  like,  for  he  Vt^as  looking 
anxiously  at  his  bunch  of  flowers. 

After  Pollux  had  hurried  past  this  strange  party 
his  thoughts  reverted  to  other,  and  to  him  far  nearer 
and  dearer  subjects.  But  Mastor's  anxious  looks  were 
not  without  a  cause,  for  the  gentleman  who  was  talk- 
ing to  him  was  no  less  a  person  than  Verus,  the  prae- 
tor, who  was  called  by  the  Alexandrians  the  sham  Eros. 
He  had  seen  the  Emperor's  body-slave  a  hundred 
times  about  his  person ;  he  therefore  recognized  him 
at  once,  and  his  presence  here  in  Alexandria  led  him 
directly  to  the  simple  and  correct  inference  that  his 
master  too  must  be  in  the  city.  The  praetor's  curiosity 
was  roused,  and  he  at  once  proceeded  to  ply  the  poor 
fellow  with  bewildering  cross-questions.  When  the 
donkey-rider  shortly  and  sharply  refused  to  answer, 
Verus  thought  it  well  to  reveal  himself  to  him,  and  the 
slave  lost  his  confident  demeanor  when  he  recognized 
the  grand  gentleman,  the  Emperor's  particular  friend. 


3IO  THE    EMPEROR. 

He  lost  himself  m  contradictor)^  statements,  and  although 
he  did  not  directly  admit  it,  he  left  his  interrogator  in 
the  certainty  that  Hadrian  was  in  Alexandria. 

It  was  perfectly  evident  that  the  beautiful  nosegay, 
which  had  attracted  the  praetor's  attention  to  Mastor 
could  not  belong  to  himself.  What  could  be  its  destina- 
tion ?  Verus  recommenced  his  questioning,  but  the 
Sarmatian  would  betray  nothing,  till  Verus  tapped  him 
lightly  first  on  one  cheek  and  then  on  the  other,  and 
said  gaily : 

"  Mastor,  my  worthy  friend  Mastor,  listen  to  me. 
I  will  make  you  certain  proposals,  and  you  shall  nod 
your  head,  towards  that  of  the  estimable  beast  with  two 
pairs  of  legs  on  which  you  are  mounted,  as  soon  as  one 
of  them  takes  your  fancy." 

"  Let  me  go  on  my  way,"  the  slave  implored,  with 
growing  anxiet3^ 

"  Go,  by  all  means,  but  I  go  with  you,"  retorted 
Verus,  "  until  I  have  hit  on  the  thing  that  suits  you. 
A  great  many  plans  dwell  in  my  head,  as  you  will  see. 
First  I  must  ask  you,  shall  I  go  to  your  master  and  tell 
him  that  you  have  betrayed  his  j^resence  in  Alexandria?" 

"  Sir,  you  will  never  do  that !"  cried  Mastor. 

"  To  proceed  then.  Shall  I  and  my  following  hang 
on  to  your  skirts  and  stay  with  you  till  nightfall,  when 
you  and  your  steed  must  return  home  ?  You  decline — 
with  thanks !  and  very  wisely,  for  the  execution  of  this 
project  would  be  equally  unpleasant  to  you  and  to  me, 
and  would  probably  get  you  punished.  Whisper  to 
me  then,  softly,  in  my  ear,  where  your  master  is  lodg- 
ing, and  from  whom  and  to  whom  you  are  carrying 
those  flowers ;  as  soon  as  you  have  agreed  to  that  pro- 
posal I  will  let  you  go  on  alone,  and  will  show  you 


THE    EMPEROR.  31I 

that  I  care  no  more  for  my  gold  pieces  here,  in  Alex- 
andria, than  I  do  in  Italy." 

"  Not  gold — certainly  I  will  not  take  gold  !"  cried 
Mastor. 

'*  You  are  an  honest  fellow,"  replied  Verus  in  an  al- 
tered tone,  "  and  you  know  of  me  that  I  treat  my  ser- 
vants well  and  would  rather  be  kind  to  folks  than  hard 
upon  them.  So  satisfy  my  curiosity  without  any  fear, 
and  I  will  promise  you  in  return,  that  not  a  soul,  your 
master  least  of  all,  shall  ever  know  from  me  what  you 
tell  me."  Mastor  hesitated  a  little,  but  as  he  could  not 
but  own  to  himself  that  he  would  be  obliged  at  last  to 
yield  to  the  stronger  will  of  this  imperious  man,  and  as 
moreover  he  knew  that  the  haughty  and  extravagant 
praetor  was  in  fact  one  of  the  kindest  of  masters,  he 
sighed  deeply  and  whispered  : 

"  You  will  not  be  the  ruin  of  a  poor  wretch  like  me, 
that  I  know,  so  I  will  tell  you,  we  are  living  at  Lo- 
chias." 

"  There,"  exclaimed  Verus  clapping  his  hands.  "  And 
now  as  to  the  flowers  ?" 

"  Mere  trifling." 

"Is  Hadrian  then  in  a  merry  mood?"' 

"Till  to-day  he  was  very  gay — but  since  last 
night — " 

"  Well  ?" 

"  You  know  yourself  what  he  is  when  he  has  seen 
bad  signs  in  the  sky." 

"  Bad  signs,"  said  Verus  gravely.  "  And  yet  he 
sends  flowers  ?" 

"  Not  he,  can  you  not  guess  ?" 

"  Antinous  ?" 

Mastor  nodded  assent. 


312  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  Only  think,"  laughed  Verus.  "  Then  he  too  is  be- 
ginning to  think  it  better  worth  while  to  admire  than  to 
be  admired.  And  who  is  the  fair  one  who  has  succeeded 
in  waking  up  his  slumbering  heart  ?" 

"  Nay — I  promised  him  not  to  chatter." 

"  And  I  promise  you  the  same.  My  powers  of  re- 
serve are  far  greater  than  my  curiosity  even." 

"  Be  content,  I  beseech  you  with  what  you  already 
know." 

"  But  to  know  half  is  less  endurable  than  to  know 
nothing." 

"  Nay — I  cannot  tell  you." 

"  Then  am  I  to  begin  with  fresh  suggestions,  and  all 
over  again  ?" 

'-'  Oh  !  my  lord.     I  beg  you,  entreat  you — ■' 

"  Out  with  the  word,  and  I  go  on  my  way,  but  if 
you  persist  in  refusing — " 

"  Really  and  truly  it  only  concerns  a  Avhite-faced 
girl  whom  you  would  not  even  look  at." 

"  A  girl — indeed !" 

"  Our  big  dog  threw  the  poor  thing  down." 

"  In  the  street  ?" 

"  No,  at  Lochias.  Her  father  is  Keraunus  the 
palace-steward." 

"  And  her  name  is  Arsinoe  ?"  asked  Verus  with  un- 
disguised concern,  for  he  had  a  pleasant  recollection  of 
the  beautiful  child  who  had  been  selected  to  fill  the 
part  of  Roxana. 

"  No,  her  name  is  Selene;  Arsinoe  indeed  is  her 
younger  sister." 

"Then  you  bring  these  flowers  from  Lochias?" 

"  She  went  out,  and  she  could  not  get  back  home 
again  ;  she  is  now  lying  in  the  house  of  a  stranger." 


THE    EMPEROR.  313 

"  Where  ?" 

"  That  must  be  quite  indifferent  to  you  " 

"  By  no  means,  quite  the  contrary.  I  beg  you  to 
tell  me  the  whole  truth." 

"  Eternal  gods  !  what  can  you  care  about  the  poor 
sick  creature  ?" 

"  Nothing  whatever;  but  I  must  know  whither  you 
are  riding." 

"  Down  by  the  sea.  I  do  not  know  the  house,  but 
the  donkey  driver — " 

"  Is  it  far  from  here  ?"  • 

"  About  half  an  hour  yet,"  said  the  lad. 

"  A  good  way  then,"  replied  Verus.  "  And  Hadrian 
is  particularly  anxious  to  remain  unknown." 

"  Certainly." 

"  And  you  his  body-servant,  who  are  known  to 
numbers  of  others  here  from  Rome,  like  myself,  you 
propose  to  ride  half  a  mile  through  the  streets  where 
every  creature  that  can  stand  or  walk  is  swarming, 
with  a  large  nosegay  in  your  hand  which  attracts 
every  body's  attention.  Oh  Master  that  is  not 
wise !" 

The  slave  started,  and  seeing  at  once  that  Verus  was 
right,  he  asked  in  alarm  : 

"  What  then  can  I  do  ?" 

"  Get  off  your  donkey,"  said  the  praetor.  "  Disguise 
yourself  and  make  merry  to  your  heart's  content  with 
these  gold  pieces." 

"  And  the  flowers  ?"  ^ 

"  I  will  see  to  that." 

"You  will  ?  I  may  trust  you;  and  never  betray  to 
Antinous  what  you  compelled  me  to  do  ?" 

"  Positively  not." 


314  THE    EMPEROR. 

"  There — there  are  the  flowers,  but  I  cannot  take 
the  gold." 

"  Then  I  shall  fling  it  among  the  crowd.  Buy  your- 
self a  garland,  a  mask  and  some  wine,  as  much  as  you 
can  carry.     Where  is  the  girl  to  be  found  ?" 

"  At  dame  Hannah's.  She  lives  in  a  little  house  in 
a  garden  belonging  to  the  widow  of  Pudeus.  And  who- 
ever gives  it  to  her  is  to  say  that  it  is  sent  by  the  friend 
at  Lochias." 

"  Good.  Now  go,  and  take  care  that  no  one  recog- 
nizes you.  Your  secret  is  mine,  and  the  friend  at  Lo- 
chias shall  be  duly  mentioned." 

Mastor  disappeared  in  the  crowd.  Verus  put  the 
nosegay  into  the  hands  of  one  of  the  garden-gods  that 
followed  in  his  train,  sprang  laughing  on  to  the  ass,  and 
desired  the  driver  to  show  him  the  way.  At  the  corner 
of  the  next  street,  he  met  two  litters,  carried  with  dif- 
ficulty through  the  crowd  by  their  bearers.  In  the  first 
sat  Keraunus,  whose  saffron-colored  cloak  was  con- 
spicuous from  afar,  as  fat  as  Silenus  the  companion  of 
Dionysus,  but  looking  very  sullen.  In  the  second  sat 
Arsinoe,  looking  gaily  about  her,  and  so  fresh  and 
pretty  that  the  Roman's  easily-stirred  pulses  beat  more 
rapidly-. 

Without  reflecting,  he  took  the  flowers  from  the 
hand  of  the  garden-god — the  flowers  intended  for  Se- 
lene— laid  them  on  the  girl's  litter,  and  said : 

"  Alexander  greets  Roxana,  the  fairest  of  the  fair." 

Arsinoe  colored,  and  Verus,  after  watching  her  for 
some  time  as  she  was  carried  onwards,  desired  one  of 
his  boys  to  follow  her  litter,  and  to  join  him  again  in 
the  flower-market,  where  he  would  wait,  to  inform  him 
whither  she  had  gone. 


THE    EMPEROR,  3^S 

The  messenger  hurried  off,  and  Verus,  turning  his 
ass's  head  soon  reached  a  semicircular  pillared  hall  on 
the  shady  side  of  a  large  open  space,  under  which  the 
better  sort  of  gardeners  and  flower  dealers  of  the  city- 
exposed  their  gay  and  fragrant  wares  to  be  sold  by 
pretty  girls.  To-day  every  stall  had  been  particularly 
well  supplied,  but  the  demand  for  wreaths  and  flowers 
had  steadily  increased  from  an  early  hour,  and  although 
Verus  had  all  that  he  could  find  of  fresh  flowers  ar- 
ranged and  tied  together,  still  the  nosegay,  though 
much  larger,  was  not  half  so  beautiful  as  that  intended 
for  Selene,  and  for  which  he  substituted  it. 

Now  this  annoyed  the  Roman.  His  sense  of  justice 
prompted  him  to  make  good  the  loss  he  had  inflicted 
on  the  sick  girl.  Gay  ribbons  were  wound  round  the 
stalks  of  the  flowers,  and  the  long  ends  floated  in  the 
air,  so  Verus  took  a  brooch  from  his  dress  and  stuck  it 
into  the  bow  which  ornamented  the  stem  of  the  nose- 
gay; then  he  was  satisfied,  and  as  he  looked  at  the  stone 
set  in  a  gold  border — an  onyx  on  which  w-as  engraved 
Eros  sharpening  his  arrows — he  pictured  to  himself  the 
pleasure,  the  delight  of  the  girl  that  the^  handsome  Bithy- 
nian  loved,  as  she  received  the  beautiful  gift. 

His  slaves,  natives  of  Britain,  who  were  dressed  as 
garden-gods,  were  charged  with  the  commission  to  pro- 
ceed to  dame  Hannah's  under  the  guidance  of  the  don- 
key-driver to  deliver  the  nosegay  to  Selene  from  '  the 
friend  at  Lochias,'  and  then  to  wait  for  him  outside  the 
house  of  Titianus,  the  prefect ;  for  thither,  as  he  had  as- 
certained from  his  swift-footed  messenger,  had  Keraunus 
and  his  daughter  been  carried. 

Verus  needed  a  longer  time  than  the  boy,  to  make 
his  way  through  the  crowd.     At  the  door  of  the  pre- 


3l6  THE    EMPEROR. 

feet's  residence  he  laid  aside  his  mask,  and  in  an  ante- 
room where  the  steward  was  sitting  on  a  couch  wait- 
ing for  his  daughter,  he  arranged  his  hair  and  the  folds 
of  his  toga,  and  was  then  conducted  to  the  lady  Julia 
with  whom  he  hoped,  once  more,  to  see  the  charming 
Arsinoe. 

But  in  the  reception-room,  instead  of  Arsinoe  he 
found  his  own  wife  and  the  poetess  Balbilla  and  her 
companion.  He  greeted  the  ladies  gaily,  amiably  and 
gracefully,  as  usual,  and  then,  as  he  looked  enquiringly 
round  the  large  room  without  concealing  his  disappoint- 
ment, Balbilla  came  up  to  him  and  asked  him  in  a  low 
voice : 

"  Can  you  be  honest,  Verus  ?" 

"  When  circumstances  allow  it,  yes." 

"  And  will  they  allow  it  here  ?" 

"  I  should  suppose  so." 

"  Then  answer  me  truly.  Did  you  come  here  for 
Julia's  sake,  or  did  you  come-^ " 

"  Well  ?" 

"  Or  did  you  expect  to  find  the  fair  Roxana  with  the 
prefect's  wife  ?" 

"  Roxana  ?"  asked  Verus,  with  a  cunning  smile. 
"  Roxana !  Why  she  was  the  wife  of  Alexander  the 
Great,  and  is  long  since  dead,  but  I  care  only  for  the 
living,  and  when  I  left  the  merry  tumult  in  the  streets 
it  was  simply  and  solely " 

"  You  excite  my  curiosity." 

"  Because  my  prophetic  heart  promised  me,  fairest 
Balbilla,  that  I  should  find  you  here." 

"And  that  you  call  honest!"  cried  the  poetess,  hit- 
ting the  praetor  a  blow  with  the  stick  of  the  ostrich- 
feather  fan  she  held  in  her  hand.     "  Only  listen,  Lucilla, 


THE    EMPEROR.  317 

your  husband  declares  he  came  here  for  my  sake." 
The  praetor  looked  reproachfully  at  the  speaker,  but  she 
whispered  : 

"  Due  punishment  for  a  dishonest  man."  Then,  rais- 
ing her  voice,  she  said : 

"  Do  you  know,  Lucilla,  that  if  I  remain  unmarried, 
your  husband  is  not  wholly  innocent  in  the  matter." 

"Alas!  yes,  I  was  born  too  late  for  you,"  inter- 
rupted Verus,  who  knew  very  well  what  the  poetess  was 
about  to  say. 

"  Nay  —  no  misunderstanding  !"  cried  Balbilla. 
"  For  how  can  a  woman  venture  upon  wedlock  when 
she  cannot  but  fear  the  possibility  of  getting  such  a  hus- 
band as  Verus." 

"  And  what  man,"  retorted  the  praetor,  "  would  ever 
be  so  bold  as  to  court  Balbilla,  could  he  hear  how  cruel- 
ly she  judges  an  innocent  admirer  of  beauty  ?" 

"  A  husband  ought  not  to  admire  beauty — only  the 
one  beauty  who  is  his  wife." 

*'  Ah  Vestal  maiden,"  laughed  Verus.  '*  I  am  mean- 
while punishing  you  by  withholding  from  you  a  great 
secret  which  interests  us  all.  No,  no,  I  am  not  going  to 
tell — but  I  beg  you  my  lady  wife  to  take  her  to  task, 
and  teach  her  to  exercise  some  indulgence  so  that 
her  future  husband  may  not  have  too  hard  a  time 
of  it." 

"  No  woman  can  learn  to  be  indulgent,"  replied 
Lucilla.  "  Still  we  practise  indulgence  when  we  have  no 
alternative,  and  the  criminal  requires  us  to  make  al- 
lowance for  him  in  this  thing  or  the  other." 

Verus  made  his  wife  a  bow  and  pressed  his  lips 
on  her  arm,  then  he  asked.  "  And  where  is  dame 
Julia  ?" 


3l8  THE    EMPEROR. 

*'  She  is  saving  the  sheep  from  the  wolf,"  rephed 
Balbilla. 

"  Which  means. —  ?" 

"  That  as  soon  as  you  were  announced  she  carried 
off  little  Roxana  to  a  place  of  safety." 

"  No,  no,"  interrupted  Lucilla.  "  The  tailor  was  wait- 
ing in  an  inner  room  to  arrange  the  charming  child's 
costume.  Only  look  at  the  lovely  nosegay  she  brought 
to  Julia.  And  do  you  deny  my  right  to  share  your 
secret  ?" 

"  How  could  I  ?"  rephed  Verus. 

"  He  is  very  much  in  need  of  your  making  allow- 
ances !"  laughed  Balbilla,  while  the  praetor  went  up  to 
his  wife  and  told  her  in  a  whisper  what  he  had  learnt 
from  Mastor.  Lucilla  clasped  her  hands  in  astonish- 
ment, and  Verus  cried  to  the  poetess  : 

"  Now  you  see  what  a  satisfaction  your  cruel  tongue 
has  deprived  you  of?" 

"  How  can  you  be  so  revengeful  most  estimable 
Verus,"  said  the  lady  coaxingly.  "  I  am  dying  of 
curiosity." 

"  Live  but  a  few  days  longer  fair  Balbilla,  for  my 
sake,"  replied  the  Roman,  "  and  the  cause  of  your  early 
death  will  be  removed." 

"  Only  wait,  I  will  be  revenged !"  cried  the  girl 
threatening  him  with  her  finger,  but  Lucilla  led  her 
away  saying  : 

"  Come  now,  it  is  time  we  should  give  Julia  the 
benefit  of  our  advice." 

"  Do  so,"  said  Verus.  "  Otherwise  I  am  afraid  my 
visit  to-day  would  seem  opportune  to  no  one. — Greet 
Julia  from  me."        • 

As  he  went  away  he  cast  a  glance  at  the  nosegay 


THE    EMPEROR.  319 

which  Arsinoe  had  given  away  as  soon  as  she  had  re- 
ceived it  from  him,  and  he  sighed  :  "  As  we  grow  old 
we  have  to  learn  wisdom." 


END    OF    VOL.    I. 


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